Thinakaran Lab - Cell Biology of Alzheimer's Disease

During my Masters and Ph.D. I gained research experience in molecular biology, biophysical applications, and advanced microscopy. In my PhD, I developed improved variants of photo convertible fluorescent protein mEos3.2 using directed evolution method. The optimized brighter mEos3.2 protein variants showed augmented utility in live-cell confocal and super resolution imaging studies. In Thinakaran lab my research interest is focused on understanding the functional roles of BIN1 in neurons and glia. I will apply my experience in fluorescent protein optimization and microscopy to study the localization and function of BIN1 and other proteins that have been identified as GWAS risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.