Our Mission
In the Fitzpatrick Lab, we leverage the latest developments in cryo-electron microscopy with complementary biophysical techniques (proteomics, light-microscopy, microfluidics) to explore the molecular and structural basis of neurodegeneration. To this end, we determine the structure and behavior of amyloid fibrils, purified directly from postmortem brain tissue, that are implicated in a range of neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, we aim to understand the role of protein aggregation in vivo by visualizing the cellular changes that occur in response to the formation, clearance and spread of fibrillar inclusions using light-microscopy and cryo-electron tomography. We are in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and the lab is currently located on Columbia’s Manhattanville Campus, in the Jerome L. Greene Science Center.
We welcome applications from interested individuals to join the lab; please contact [email protected]
News
Toxic Protein, Linked to Alzheimer’s and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases, Exposed in New Detail
The Fitzpatrick Lab is immensely proud to share that our two undergraduate research fellows, Tamta Arakhamia and Christina E. Lee, have published as co-first authors in Cell!
Fitzpatrick Lab CLEM is installed!
Leica installed and trained the lab on how to use our new CLEM, acquiring nice z-stacks of cultured neurons in vitreous ice.