PhD student’s donor-funded award supports research on key protein in neurodegenerative disease
By
Eileen Hoftyzer
Le yao (Leo) Li’s doctoral studies at the University of Toronto could lead to better research models of how neurodegenerative diseases spread in the brain.
Li, who is supervised by Professor Joel Watts at the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, recently received the Ernest, Molly and Philip Giles Multiple Systems Atrophy Research Award to support his work — and says the additional financial support has been essential for his resource-intensive studies.
“I’m honoured and thankful to receive the award,” says Li, who is affiliated with the department of biochemistry at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine. “It allows us to keep progressing at a steady pace, and I can approach my project in a more adventurous way as questions come up.”
Li began his PhD at U of T in 2021, after earning a Bachelor of Science with a major in biochemistry from the University of Guelph. He did rotations with a few biochemistry labs at Temerty Medicine to gain exposure to different types of research, and after a stint in Watts’ lab, he joined the group for the rest of his PhD studies.
Watts, associate professor of biochemistry and investigator at the Tanz Centre, leads research on prions, infectious proteins that cause other proteins to misfold and aggregate and cause neurodegenerative disease. His group also develops research tools that allow scientists to study how misfolded proteins aggregate in brain cells and cause neurodegeneration.
“In the Watts lab, I became very interested in the fact that you can have what is essentially a normal protein that is very useful for our daily life, and how that same protein can also be a danger if it is misfolded,” says Li.
Alpha synuclein is a protein in neurons that misfolds and accumulates in brain cells in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. The misfolding can be caused by genetic mutations or exposure to other conditions, and these different triggers can result in variability to the misfolded protein structure — which may result in unique biochemical properties or activity in neurons.
Li is studying lab-generated misfolded alpha synuclein protein to understand how they aggregate in animal models, and if they can cause disease when injected in other models. A better understanding of these misfolded proteins and how they aggregate will allow researchers to develop better study tools for neurodegenerative disease.
“Leo has made phenomenal progress on his project thus far. His work will allow us to study the biological underpinnings of Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy using animal models that more closely mimic what happens in the human brain,” says Watts. “We are grateful to the Giles family for helping to enable this groundbreaking research.”
Li says that studying at the Tanz Centre offers unique opportunities to connect with other students and collaborate with leading researchers in related fields, which will be helpful as he pursues his research career.
“I’m working in close proximity with specialists and groups that are developing or using many cutting-edge research techniques,” says Li. “I can easily ask questions, get feedback on my ideas and build connections. We work in a very collaborative environment, and I appreciate that.”
