Qatar Biomedical Research Institute QBRI

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Biomarker Development and Modeling with iPSC-Derived Neurons for Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative Diseases

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This research team focuses on the development of exosome biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Exosome biomarkers could facilitate the development of clinical targets for early intervention to prevent, delay, or reduce the severity of these diseases.

The team are also working on the functional assay to validate patient-specific hiPSC-derived neurons using calcium imaging, whole-cell patch clamping technique, and micro-electrode array (MEA), in order to model neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.

Research Team

Current Projects

Latest Publications

  • Ali Moussa, H. Y., Shin, K. C., & Park, Y. (2025). Ca2+/calmodulin and protein kinase C (PKC) reverse the vesicle fusion arrest by unmasking PIP2. Science Advances.
  • Shin, K. C., Ali Moussa, H. Y., & Park, Y. (2024). Cholesterol imbalance and neurotransmission defects in neurodegeneration. Experimental & Molecular Medicine, 56(8), 1685–1690.
  • Ali Moussa, H. Y., Shin, K. C., Ponraj, J., Park, S. H., Lee, O. S., Mansour, S., & Park, Y. (2024). PIP2 is an electrostatic catalyst for vesicle fusion by lowering the hydration energy: Arresting vesicle fusion by masking PIP2. ACS Nano, 18(20), 12737–12748.
  • Shin, K. C., Ali, G., Ali Moussa, H. Y., Gupta, V., de la Fuente, A., Kim, H. G., Stanton, L. W., & Park, Y. (2023). Deletion of TRPC6, an autism risk gene, induces hyperexcitability in cortical neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells. Molecular Neurobiology, 60(12), 7297–7308.
  • Ali Moussa, H. Y., Shin, K. C., Ponraj, J., Kim, S. J., Ryu, J. K., Mansour, S., & Park, Y. (2023). Requirement of cholesterol for calcium-dependent vesicle fusion by strengthening synaptotagmin-1-induced membrane bending. Advanced Science, 10(15), e2206823.
  • Birinci Y, Preobraschenski J, Ganzella M, Jahn R#, Park Y#. Isolation of large dense-core vesicles from bovine adrenal medulla for functional studies. Sci Rep. 2020 May 5;10(1):7540.
  • Hubrich R, Park Y, Mey I, Jahn R, Steinem C. SNARE-mediated fusion of single chromaffin granules with pore-spanning membranes. Biophys J. 2019 Jan 22;116(2):308-318.
  • Park Y# and Ryu JK#. Models of synaptotagmin-1 to trigger Ca2+-dependent vesicle fusion. FEBS Lett. 2018 Nov;592(21):3480-3492.
  • Park Y#, MicroRNA exocytosis by vesicle fusion in neuroendocrine cells. Front Endocrinol. 2017 Dec 22;8:355.
  • Gümürdü A, Yildiz R, Eren E, Karakülah G, Ünver T, GENÇ Ş, and Park Y#. MicroRNA exocytosis by large dense-core vesicle fusion. Sci Rep. 2017 Mar 30;7:45661.
  • Park CG, Park Y, Suh BC. The HOOK region of voltage-gated Ca2+ channel β subunits senses and transmits PIP2 signals to the gate. J Gen Physiol. 2017 Feb;149(2):261-276.
  • Kim DI, Kweon HJ, Park Y, Jang DJ, Suh BC. Ca2+ controls gating of voltage-gated calcium channels by releasing the β2e subunit from the plasma membrane. Sci Signal. 2017 Mar 30;7:45661.
  • Park Y, Seo JB, Fraind A, Pérez-Lara A, Yavuz H, Han K, Jung SR, Kattan I, Walla PJ, Choi MY, Cafiso DS, Koh DS, Jahn R. Synaptotagmin-1 binds to PIP2-containing membrane but not to SNAREs at physiological ionic strength. Nature Struct Mol Biol. 2015 Oct;22(10):815-823.
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