Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurologic disorder that results from the premature death of brain cells. Patients suffer from a progressive and ultimately severe movement disorder and many other complications. The LaVoie lab is dedicated to understanding the earliest events in the brain that lead to this disease. The cause of PD is not known, but rare inherited examples of the disease provide great insight.

Mutations in a gene called PARKIN were the second cause of inherited PD to be discovered. Research has since revealed that this gene is important for the quality control and health of mitochondria, which are the power plants of the cell. Ongoing work in the LaVoie lab is directed towards understanding how PARKIN maintains healthy mitochondria in brain cells using stem cell derived human neurons. We are also interested in uncovering how PARKIN is activated in brain cells, a process that might rescue them from disease.

Mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may be the most common cause of inherited PD. The LaVoie lab is dedicated to uncovering which cells are affected by LRRK2 mutation and where in the cell LRRK2 acts. Current theories suggest that LRRK2 is important in controlling inflammation and the clearance of debris within cells, and our work is aimed at understanding how LRRK2 mutations cause PD and evaluate whether small molecule inhibitors of LRRK2 (drugs) might be used to treat patients with PD