Hi! We're the NeurdyPhagy Lab (Neurdy for Neurons and phagy, because we study autophagy = self-eating, a process that is important for cells to 'eat' and digest broken components). We study ALS at the cellular level at UWaterloo. 

https://neurdyphagylab.squarespace.com/

Common features in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis include misdirected proteins that build up over time and
lead to large protein clumps that are toxic to the cell and lead to cell death. In ALS, special cells known as motor
neurons are particularly affected. These neurons have very long extensions known as axons that connect the brain
and spinal cord to our muscles. Axons can be meters long. Consequently, proteins must travel long distances
along axons to mediate their effects, like metabolism or signaling muscles to move. The first step in ALS involves
proteins being directed to the wrong part of the cell. This can cause proteins to perform their functions in the
wrong place. Alternatively, these misdirected proteins cannot be removed by the cell and they build-up and form
large clumps composed of the mislocalized proteins and other critical cellular components. Our lab has identified
a process that regulates this protein localization, known as fatty acylation. Fatty acylation involves the addition
of a fat to proteins. The fat acts like a postal code to direct proteins to the proper location in the cell and helping
them to stick there. Fatty acylation is reversible, which allows proteins to be re-directed within the cell multiple
times. It also makes it a more druggable target. We have identified key proteins involved in ALS that undergo
acylation. We think acylation may deliver these proteins to the wrong areas in the cell and this may be a common
feature in ALS. By identifying the proteins that regulate this process, we hope this will contribute to the design
of new therapeutic targets in ALS. 

This summer we will be participating in the ALS Canada Walk to End ALS. Now more than ever, the ALS community needs our support to provide hope and help to families affected by ALS. That’s why we're joining thousands of others, a part of a passionate and motivated community to “walk” in celebration of hope and a world free of ALS. Please consider supporting our team and donating towards this important cause.

Your support will help to:

• Create a better day-to-day reality for people and families living with ALS by providing community-based support throughout Ontario – like home visits and support groups – as well as necessary medical equipment like hospital beds, wheelchairs, stairlifts and other items that increase safety in the home, at no cost to those who need them.
• Further scientific progress by investing in the ALS Canada Research Program, which funds promising ALS research. The ALS Canada Research Program is the only national dedicated source of funding for ALS research across Canada. This program provides peer-reviewed grants to researchers whose work has the greatest potential to advance the field of ALS. There’s been more progress made in ALS research in the last five years than over the last century – we need to keep building on this momentum.

Join our team in making a difference. Please consider donating to our team fundraising page as we work toward a world free of ALS.

Your support is needed now more than ever – we are stronger together!