The Shahmoradian Lab investigates how molecular architecture shapes neuronal function and its breakdown in neurodegenerative disease. 

We focus on proteins such as α-synuclein and their interactions with membranes, vesicles, and organelles that preserve neuronal integrity. 

Our earlier work resolved the ultrastructure and molecular composition of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, defining end-stage pathology. 

Building on this, we now probe earlier events—how protein misfolding and membrane remodeling disrupt cellular organization and initiate disease.

Through cryo-electron microscopy, cryo-electron tomography, and correlative light microscopy, we visualize these processes in their native context to connect molecular structure with cellular dysfunction.