Yvette Wong, PhD (Principal Investigator)
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Yvette received her BA in Biology & Mathematics (Double Major) Cum Laude with Distinction from Cornell University, and subsequently pursued a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania with Dr. Erika Holzbaur, studying the role of autophagy in neurodegeneration. During her PhD, Yvette identified huntingtin as a regulator of autophagosome axonal transport disrupted in Huntington’s disease, and optineurin as a mitophagy receptor disrupted in ALS, for which she received the Saul Winegrad Outstanding Neuroscience PhD Thesis Award.
Yvette conducted her postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Dimitri Krainc at Northwestern University, where she has made important contributions to both neurodegeneration and cell biology. She identified a new pathway for crosstalk between mitochondrial and lysosomal at mitochondria-lysosome contact sites allowing for the regulation of mitochondrial network dynamics (Nature 2018). She has additionally shown that mitochondria-lysosome contact sites are disrupted in neurodegenerative diseases such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (Dev Cell 2019), further highlighting important roles for this pathway in human diseases, and has also contributed to multiple papers on Parkinson’s disease research.
Yvette started as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology in 2020 at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago, IL, USA). Her research focuses on investigating novel dynamics including inter-organelle contact sites such as mitochondria-lysosome contacts, and elucidating their roles in the pathogenesis of human diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders. Yvette enjoys discovering new cellular events using live cell microscopy, unraveling pathways in neurodegeneration, mentoring her trainees, improvising on the piano, and exploring new places. Yvette has received awards from the Society of Neuroscience (SfN), the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), and the American Neurological Association (ANA), and has been the recipient of the Warren Alpert Foundation Distinguished Scholars Fellowship Award in Neuroscience, the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, and the NIH Director’s DP2 New Innovator Award.
Hannah Ball
Hannah Ball is a Northwestern PhD student in the Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences. She received her B.S. from the University of Arizona in Molecular and Cellular Biology & Biochemistry. She is excited to learn about neurodegenerative diseases and the cell to cell dynamics of TDP-43. She loves spending time at the lake, baking and finding places to explore in Chicago.
Kevin Shen
Kevin Shen is a PhD student in the Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience (NUIN) Program. He received his B.A. from Amherst College, majoring in Neuroscience. He is excited about studying how organelle dynamics may be affected by neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease. Outside of the lab, he can be found riding his bike, reading fantasy and science fiction novels, playing video games with friends, or keeping his cat, Mali, out of trouble.
Miriam Goras
Miriam Goras is a PhD student in the Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience (NUIN) Program. She received her B.S. in Neuroscience from Arizona State University – Tempe. She is enthusiastic about studying mitochondria and organelle dynamics and inter-organelle contact sites in Parkinson’s disease. She enjoys exploring new neighborhoods in the city and trying out new recipes.
Danyu Luo
Daynu Luo is a PhD student in the Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience (NUIN) Program. She earned her B.S. in Biology & Mathematics from McGill University. She is passionate about studying Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) using state-of-the-art imaging techniques and computational modeling. Outside the lab, she enjoys thrifting, taking pictures, and exploring new spots around Chicago.
Abby Woods
Abby Woods is a research technologist who received her B.S. from the College of William & Mary in Neuroscience with a minor in History. She is passionate about studying neurodegenerative diseases as they relate to intracellular dynamics, and really enjoys performing high resolution live microscopy. She loves obscure fun facts, art museums, and the perfect cup of tea.
George Shum
George Shum is a research technologist who received his B.A. in Neuroscience from Northwestern University, who also previously conducted his Undergraduate Honors research in the lab. He is excited about his project on mitochondria-lysosome contact site dynamics in disease. In his free time, he enjoys going on hikes, playing the piano, and spending time with his dog, Coffee.
Catherine Molakal
Catherine Molakal is a research technologist who graduated from Baylor University with a B.S. in Neuroscience. She is really excited about studying the dynamics of mitochondrial RNA and how it is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. She likes to explore hidden gems within the city and loves long walks along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Jasmine Cisneros (Lab Alumni)
Jasmine Cisneros was a research technologist who received her B.S. from UC Berkeley in Chemistry with a minor in Bioengineering. Jasmine is currently a PhD student at University of Southern California’s PhD program in Molecular Biology.
Tayler Belton (Lab Alumni)
Tayler Belton was a research technologist who received her B.S from Johns Hopkins University in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Tayler is currently a PhD student at Yale University’s School of Medicine PhD program in Neuroscience.
Eric Leisten (Lab Alumni)
Eric Leisten was a research technologist who received his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Biochemistry. Eric is currently a PhD student at University of Chicago’s PhD Program in Cancer Biology.
Lab Photos!
Wong Lab!
Lab Fall Party!
Lab Summer Hangout!
Lab Summer Hangout!
Lab Summer Party!
Lab Summer Party!
Keystone Symposia on Neurodegeneration, Colorado
Summer in downtown Chicago!