An emerging hypothesis is that LRRK2 and GBA converge on certain intracellular pathways such as lipids, lysosomes and inflammation. If experimentally proved to be true, GBA patients would be excellent candidates for LRRK2 clinical trials. This project aims to test the convergence of GBA and LRRK2 on inflammation in iPSC-derived monocytes. Any robust phenotypes observed in cytokine synthesis or release will be tested in the presence of LRRK2 kinase inhibitors/GCase activators to test for reversal of observed deficits.

Project Duration:  2 years