From left to right. Daniel Weisz, Murat Karabacak, Qi Wang, David Welch, Jared Auclair, Ravi Kumar, Long Li, Jeff Agar, Josh Johnson, Nathalie Agar, Jennifer Cobb, Nicole Zaia, Kristin Boggio. Invisible members: Joshua Agranat, Kelly Song, HehSun Kim, Jeremy Oh, and Jung Gun Song.

Jeff Agar, Principle Investigator (being escorted to the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Lockup Fundraiser). B.S. Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Michigan, Flint. Ph.D. University of Georgia (Michael K. Johnson), Post Doctoral, McGill University, Montreal Neurological Institute (Heather D. Durham). My interests are all of the things listed below plus a few more projects waiting for good people. My scientific goal is to contribute to treating ALS.

Dr. Long Li. Post-Doctoral Fellow. My research interest is to discover biomarkers using mass spectrometry-based proteomics by implementing state-of-the-art data analysis methods. Postmortem brain and spinal cord tissue specimens from affected and unaffected regions of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and the same regions of non-ALS individuals will be compared. The hypothesis is that state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and data analysis methods applied to carefully chosen regions of tissue will enable ALS biomarker discovery.

Dr. Jared Auclair. Post-Doctoral Fellow. B.S. Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Medical School. I’m currently a joint post-doc in the Agar Lab and Petsko-Ringe Lab. I’m interested in understanding neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS. Currently, my research interests involve using biochemistry, protein crystallography and mass spectrometry to identify novel therapeutics for ALS. Using an in silico screen we have previously identified a novel site for drug targeting in the Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase that I hope to exploit. In addition, I hope to be able to apply what I learn from ALS treatment to other neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers, etc.

Qi Wang. Chemistry Graduate Student. B.S. & M.S. Nankai University, Tianjin, China. My research interests include theoretical and experimental approaches pursuing the “toxic gain of function” results from the mutations of Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) which cause 20% familial ALS (fALS). For the theoretical approach, we collected all the published SOD1-mutation-related fALS patients’ disease durations and found that physicochemical properties of SOD1 variants, namely protein aggregation and protein instability, are central to fALS patients’ survival times. For the experimental approach, I’m interested in the effects of metal ions on the structure and dynamics of fALS-causing SOD1 variants by hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry.

N. Murat Karabacak. Chemistry Graduate Student. B.S. Bilkent University, Turkey. I am using high resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) to study the effects of post-translational modification upon the structure of proteins that relate to neurodegenerative disease.

Joshua L. Johnson. Biochemistry Graduate Student. B.S. University of Wisconsin. Only 10% of all ALS patients have a familial history of the disease, with the other 90% of cases being sporadic, with no known cause. One of the many hypothesizes of the cause of sporadic ALS is post translational modifications (PTM’s) of SOD1. My research interests involve using mass spectrometry to determine what PTM’s are present and their differences in ALS affected and less affected regions of tissue and between ALS patients and patients without ALS. I am also interested in looking at the affects PTM’s have on the structure and dynamics of SOD1 using H/D exchange mass spectrometry.

Jennifer S. Cobb. Chemistry Graduate Student. B.S. Lafayette College, Easton, PA. My primary area of research focuses on top-down mass spectrometry protein identification that utilizes high mass accuracy intact protein molecular weight as well as tandem mass spectrometry techniques to achieve fragmentation. Currently, we are exploring a type of in-source collisionally activated dissociation that we call funnel-skimmer dissociation (FSD) using a 9.4 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. FSD fragmentation of proteins takes place in the ion-funnel after excitation of the electrical declustering potential. In collaboration with Bruker Daltonics Inc (Billerica, MA), we have customized source electronics that allow automated modulation of ion funnel voltages for facile protein cleavage and identification on a liquid chromatography timescale.

Kristin J. Boggio. Chemistry Graduate Student. B.S. University of Massachusetts at Boston. My interests include the use of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and imaging mass spectrometry for various applications. My research interests involve the discovery of potential biomarkers for ALS by comparing diseased and healthy tissue. I am also interested in studying Sleep, creating a neuropeptide map for Drosophila melanogaster. Finally, I am interested in stabilizing the dimer form of SOD1.

David Welch. Biophysics Graduate Student. B.S. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I am interested in using imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) to investigate disease states, inflammation, and cell-cell interactions. Currently, we are developing a method to label single motor neurons in situ for analysis by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. This makes use of a transgenic mouse line expressing YFP in neurons only as well as hSOD-1 with the G93A mutation known to cause ALS. I am also working on ways to improve resolution in IMS via alternative means of matrix deposition.

Nicole M. Zaia. Undergraduate Research Assistant. B.S. in biochemistry in progress at Simmons College in Boston. My interests include molecular and clinical genetics, particularly pertaining to autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. Since joining the Agar lab, I have assisted in the development and maintenance of transgenic mouse colonies for ALS model research.

Joshua S. Agranat Undergraduate Research Assistant. B.S. in chemistry in progress at Brandeis University; expected graduation in Spring 2012. My current interests include examining proteins that are known to factor in neurodegenerative diseases with the use of an Ion-trap mass spectrometer. Since joining the Agar lab, I have received formal training in mass spectrometry and HPLC in preparation for working on bottom-up proteomics projects.

Daniel Weisz Undergraduate Research Assistant. B.S. in chemistry in progress at Brandeis University; expected graduation in Spring 2009. Jung and I study bacterial and yeast proteins using Fourier transform mass spectrometry to develop top-down proteomics techniques, specifically with applications to ALS research.

Jung Gun Song. Undergraduate Research Assistant. B.S. in neuroscience in progress at Bowdoin College expected graduation in 2011. I’m collaborating with Daniel to study bacterial and yeast proteins using Fourier transform mass spectrometry. This is to develop top-down proteomics techniques that have specific applications to ALS research.