Jie Shen, Ph.D.

Dr. Shen’s contributions to Parkinson’s disease (PD) research include the development of a mouse model for studying mutations in the gene LRRK2, the most common genetic cause of late-onset PD. In this project, she tests the hypothesis that LRRK2 mutations disrupt protein degradation inside cells, leading over time to the buildup of a protein called α-synuclein—a major constituent of clumps called Lewy bodies that are the pathological hallmark of PD.