Wendy Cristal Aquino

Tauopathies are the group of neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by the improper aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau. Through proteolytic degradation, recent work has found different structural conformation of tau, “tau strains”, isolated from human brain and animal model. However, the role of these different conformations and how they react to available therapeutics remains unknown. By using the nematode C. elegans, we aim to generate tau aggregates in vivo and compare them to aggregates formed in vitro and in human brain tissue. My research focuses on the identification and characterization of the different tau conformations or strains through the use of analytical methods.