Julia Kaye, PhD, uses innovative technologies to investigate questions in neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. She is an expert in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, specifically using patient-derived cells to produce neurons and investigate disease mechanisms. She subjects these human neuron models to an imaging approach called robotic microscopy in order to unravel how cells from patients with neurodegenerative diseases grow, behave, and survive differently from cells from healthy patients. She also applies machine learning approaches to analyze the images acquired from robotic microscopy to develop sensitive platforms that capture disease signatures. Kaye also has extensive experience in whole genome sequence analysis, and is involved in very large studies using this approach to discover how a person’s genetic makeup can modify the onset or progression of conditions including ALS, Huntington’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Her goal is to reveal genes that are critical in disease progression with the hopes of finding potential therapeutic targets.

Disease Areas

Huntington’s Disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Parkinson’s Disease

Areas of Expertise

iPSC Disease Modeling
Whole Genome Sequence Analysis
Statistical Modeling
High Content Microscopy and Image Analysis Tools
Working in the Kaye lab

Lab Focus

Applying iPSC technology to unravel the complexities of neurodegenerative disorders.
Leveraging whole genome sequencing analyses to discover genetic modifiers of disease.
Developing novel approaches to study images captured by robotic microscopy.

Research Impact

Kaye’s research focuses on using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based models of neurological conditions to discover basic disease mechanisms. She was a founding member of the Huntington’s Disease iPSC Consortium and involved in generating some of the first patient-derived lines available to the research community. By applying longitudinal robotic microscopy to those models, she discovered disease-relevant phenotypes and provided insight into Huntington’s disease pathophysiology. Kaye has subsequently expanded this approach to investigate other neurodegenerative conditions including ALS and Parkinson’s disease. She has also used whole genome sequence analysis of family-based studies to discover novel genetic drivers and modifiers of neurodegeneration. Together, Kaye’s work is changing the understanding of the molecular drivers of neurodegenerative diseases, and is helping establish platforms that will revolutionize how we discover therapeutic targets and screen for novel drug candidates for these devastating conditions.

 

Lab Members