MOK LAB

Thanks for your interest in the Mok lab

We are fascinated by all things related to protein folding!

We use biochemistry and cell biology techniques to learn how proteins acquire and maintain their specific folded shapes. We study an amazing group of proteins called molecular chaperones that function to keep our proteins correctly folded. Our team is working hard to help solve the mystery of why specific proteins stop folding correctly (called misfolding or aggregation) in diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Recent News

March 14, 2024

We have been busy but it is about time we highlighted some of the exciting things that have happened in the last year:

Our team in collaboration with the Heras and Condello labs published a study on the development of our high-throughput tau protein purification methods and trypsin digest assay for identifying structure differences between tau aggregates. We were able to use our new techniques to show that tau missense mutations associated with neurodegeneration can alter the inherent aggregate structures formed in vitro. Our findings have potential implications for tauopathies caused by tau mutations and interpreting data from many of the experimental models we use to study tauopathies. You can check out the study at ACS Chemical Neuroscience or BioRxiv.

Our team (Mok, Condello, and Heras labs) was awarded a CIHR project grant to fund our work to generate new tau aggregate structures and characterize their effects in cell and animal models!

We have added several new members to our team who are contributing their skills and enthusiasm to our research program.

• Jenna Lindner, Ria Ratra, and Ben Cross are currently carrying out undergraduate research projects in our lab
• Varun Aggarwal joined our team as a technician
• Mahalashmi Srinivasan joined our Biochemistry graduate program in Fall 2023
• Shreya Ghosh and Natasha Larson joined us for summer projects in 2023. They will both be back in the lab for summer 2024!
• Sang-Gyun Kang joined our team as a Research Associate

Our most recent lab photo. Left to Right: Sang-Gyun Kang, Kerry Sun, Varun Aggarwal, Mahalashmi Srinivasan, Ria Ratra, Jenna Lindner, Sue-Ann Mok

Pictures from Summer 2023 go karting with the lab:

The lab had a great time attending the PRinCE 2023 meeting in Montreal. What a great research community to be a part of!

November 28, 2022

With an idea that started in our homes at the beginning of the pandemic came our paper detailing how to make arrayed mutant libraries which is now published at STAR Protocols! We hope that the paper accomplishes our goal of giving any standard molecular biology lab the tools to make custom arrayed mutant libraries economically and rapidly. Check out our free primer design webapp page with links to the protocol paper!

July 22, 2022

Our entire team thanks the donors of the BrightFocus Foundation for recently supporting our study to look at the role of tau phosphorylation sites on tau aggregate structure and pathology. We are working with an incredible team that includes Carlo Condello (UCSF), HyunJun Yang (UCSF), and Jonathan Heras (University de La Rioja). Get ready for some exciting results!

Click here to read more about the incredible research funded by the BrightFocus Foundation.