Dr. Daewoo Lee
Cell-to-Cell Transmission of Alpha-Syn Aggregates in Parkinson’s Disease
Dr. Daewoo Lee, Professor of Biological Sciences, received a Baker Fund grant of $11,905 to further his research on the abundant neuronal protein a-Synuclein (a-Syn), which is responsible for the abnormal production of Lewy bodies, resulting in several neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease.
Using fruit flies due to their genomic similarities to humans, Lee’s research aims to better understand how a-Syn spreads between neurons and what molecular factors influence the transmission of the protein. If scientists can better understand these properties of a-Syn, then they can understand how it spreads and progresses disease – knowledge that may help in developing treatments that slow the disease or eliminate it altogether.
An OHIO graduate student researcher and an undergraduate research assistant will help Dr. Lee with his research, which he intends to use to secure National Institutes of Health funding.
Lee was one of five Ohio University faculty members awarded a total of $57,968 from the John C. Baker Fund during the 2019 spring semester for research and scholarly work that embodies the commitment to excellence embraced by both the fund’s namesake and the alumni who created it.
Each fall and spring, the John C. Baker Fund provides competitive awards of up to $12,000 to support faculty and staff research, scholarship and creative activity, with preference given to projects that are near completion and can be brought to completion with the funding.
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