About the Holzbaur Lab
In efforts to better understand intracellular biosynthetic and endocytic trafficking, the Holzbaur Lab focuses on uncovering the dynamics of organelle motility in the cytoskeleton that is mediated by molecular motors: kinesins, dynein, and myosins. Dr. Erika Holzbaur, along with Dr. Jayne Aiken, lead these investigations through the approaches of live cell imaging in iPSC-derived neurons, single molecule resolution reconstitution assays, and animal models for neurodegenerative diseases. Their interest in understanding the regulation mechanisms for motor activity has resulted in findings that show that defects in molecular motor function can lead to neurodegenerative diseases. More specifically, the Holzbaur Lab’s recent discoveries highlights KIF1A’s important function of transporting synaptic vesicles to the synapse and how specific disease-causing mutations on KIF1A affect its molecular behavior and lead to disease.
