Home Department: Engineering
Mentor: Yanmin Yang (Neurology & Neurological Sciences)

“Investigating the Role of a Receptor-Related Protein in Neuronal Tau Propagation”

Tau protein aggregation is the most well-understood mechanism of neurodegenerative disease, a cognitive condition affecting 15% of the world’s population. However, there is little evidence of the specific proteins that allow tau protein to initially propagate inside the neuron. Sam will be researching the expression of highly regulated genes and their function in vitro in response to tau protein variants. Further, he will use computational modeling techniques to understand how the tau proteins interact with the proteins on the neuronal membrane surfaces..