Panaiyur Mohan, Ph.D.

My research aims to understand the role of proteases in the pathogenesis of degenerative diseases. Proteases play an important role in the cascade of events leading to cell death. Abnormal processing of proteins is an early event in several major degenerative disorders. We are particularly interested in characterizing the role of calpains (calcium-activated proteases) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), and in understanding the interplay among the calpain, caspase, and cathepsin proteolytic systems in programmed cell death. I use both biochemical and immunochemical techniques to study proteases in postmortem human and animal tissues and in cell culture models. These studies also focus on the regulation of endogenous inhibitors that modulate the activities of the proteases. Based on our discovery of elevated lysosomal hydrolases in CSF of AD patients, we are developing a diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease. I am currently developing a sensitive assay for cathepsin D, a lysosomal enzyme especially elevated in AD brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The assay in conjunction with other available markers in CSF, such as tau protein and amyloid b peptide, will yield a profile with increased detection sensitivity.