About the Verhey Lab
The Verhey Lab is dedicated to uncovering how the interplay between microtubules and molecular motors facilitate intracellular transport in mammalian cells. Headed by Dr. Kristen Verhey, PhD, the Verhey Lab's contributions have dramatically shaped our current understanding of KIF1A through a multitude of projects with heavy emphasis on collaboration with the KIF1A research community. Dr. Verhey and her team have contributed to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying KIF1A autoinhibition and activation. Her lab has also played an important role in defining the motor’s motility and force-generating properties, showing that KIF1A is a superprocessive motor but gives up easily in response to load. Along with these findings, the Verhey Lab has helped develop biophysical and cell-based assays to probe how KIF1A variants decrease the motor’s ability to move along microtubules, giving insight into the range of phenotypic characteristics found in KAND individuals.
