Min Jee Kwon, PhD

During my Ph.D. training, I have been working on various projects to investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying protein toxicity in neurodegenerative diseases, specifically polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases, usingDrosophila melanogasteras a model organism.Currently, as a post-doctoral research fellow, I investigate the fundamental mechanisms underlying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS) pathogenesis. One of the prominent hallmarks of ALS is the cytoplasmic mislocalization of RNA-binding proteins, such as TDP-43 and FUS. My research is principally focused on revealing cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying FUS mislocalization and identifying the critical key factor(s) that restore(s)FUS nuclear localization. The ultimate goal ofmy research is to develop a novel, effective therapeutic approach preventing the aberrant nucleocytoplasmic transport of RNA-binding proteins in ALS.

Education: M.S.-Ph.D.,Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST),South Korea

B.S.& B.A., University of California, Irvine