Dr. James Shorter

Biography

James Shorter is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. He earned his M.A. in Biology from the University of Oxford in 1995 and his Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the University of London in 2000. His research focuses on protein homeostasis, particularly the mechanisms that cells utilize to maintain protein folding and prevent aggregation of misfolded proteins. This line of work is crucial in understanding neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other protein misfolding disorders. Shorter is known for his investigations into the role of prions and amyloids in cellular processes, studying how these protein conformers self-replicate and the evolutionary implications of these processes. He is also working on engineering disaggregases to combat protein aggregation in metazoan systems that lead to various neurodegenerative conditions.

Research Interests