Crossing Barriers: Discovery and Development of LRRK2 Small Molecule Inhibitors

Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are commonly implicated in the pathogenesis of both familial and sporadic Parkinson's disease. LRRK2 regulates critical cellular processes at membranous organelles and forms microtubule-based pathogenic filaments, yet the molecular basis underlying these biological roles of LRRK2 remains largely enigmatic. In this seminar, I will present our recent work on structural studies of the full-length human LRRK2 as well as what we learned about Parkinson's disease from the high-resolution structures of LRRK2.