Dr. Lakshya Bajaj, COBRE Phase III Pilot Project recipient, was recently awarded an R16 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Dr. Lakshya Bajaj, COBRE Phase III Pilot Project recipient, was recently awarded an R16 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). His project p(UG) RNA Quadruplexes as Nucleators of Stress Granules and Modulators of TDP-43 Pathology in ALS explores how the RNA-binding protein TDP-43 relocates to stress granules (SGs), dynamic, liquid-liquid phase-separated, membraneless RNA–protein condensates that typically dissolve upon stress resolution. This research promises to identify novel RNA-targeted therapeutic avenues to restore proteostasis and RNA metabolism in the neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Congratulations to Dr. Bajaj and his research group!