Research Interests

I work in the laboratory of Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre. Our lab is interested in an inherited disease called DYT1 dystonia. The most common inherited dystonia, DYT1 is caused by a three nucleotide deletion in the gene TOR1A, which results in the deletion of a glutamic acid residue from the protein torsinA. My project focuses on understanding the mechanisms of degradation of torsinA within the cell, specifically to discover if the wild type and disease-linked mutant forms of torsinA are degraded differently. Manipulation of degradation pathways, if mutant torsinA is degraded by a different catabolic process than wild type torsinA, could represent a potential therapeutic approach for DYT1 dystonia.

Living in Iowa City

The Neuroscience Program at Iowa has been a great fit for me. I enjoy the interdisciplinary nature of the program, as it has allowed me to gain a broad understanding of neuroscience outside of my specific interests. The people, both graduate students and faculty, form a great community in which to do science. Also, I have found Iowa City a great place to be a graduate student. I like the atmosphere of the city, and it is full of activities I enjoy.