Stefan Strack Laboratory

Welcome to the Strack lab!

We work on fundamental mechanisms underlying brain function and dysfunction. We currently have two broad areas of research interest. The first one involves regulation of mitochondrial form and function by protein kinases and phosphatases. This research seeks to better understand and ultimately find treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and spinocerebellar ataxias, as well as peripheral neuropathies, such as those caused by diabetes. Our second, more recent interest is in neurodevelopmental disorders, in particular intellectual disability and autism. In collaboration with geneticists around the world, our work in this area focuses on how pathogenic mutations in protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and other signaling molecules derail normal brain development. We study neurological disorders at molecular, cellular, and organismal levels (mouse models), leveraging state-of-the-art biochemical, imaging, and genome-editing techniques.