Abdulhafiz Aliagan, M.S.

Abdulhafiz is working on elucidating the role of the inner mitochondrial membrane protein (Mic60/Mitofilin) in Parkinson’s disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a major hallmark in many diseases including Parkinson’s disease, and Mic60/Mitofilin dysregulation plays a key role in mitochondrial dysfunction. The goal of his research is to understand the mitochondrial-dependent mechanism leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and ultimately dopaminergic neuron death in Parkinson disease, using mouse models and in vitro models. He combines various multidisciplinary approaches including biochemical, molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience and microscopic approaches to elucidate the mechanism of Mic60 downregulation, and how to protect against this  downregulation to induce neuroprotection.