Dr. Daechsel obtained his Ph.D., focused on the functional biology of Parkin, from Ludwig-Maximilian University. During his time at Mayo Clinic he has worked extensively in the cloning and mutagenesis of tagged full-length and partial LRRK2. As a talented protein biochemist/cell biologist he has made several original contributions to LRRK2 field including the study of LRRK2 protein interactions with parkin and tau (Daechsel et al, 2006, Rajput et al 2006, Daechsel et al., 2007) and developed some of the most sensitive and specific antibody reagents available (Melrose et al., 2007) (Novus Biologicals). Recently Dr. Daechsel has developed a cell based assay that is being utilized to screen novel compounds through Industry Collaboration. Dr. Daechsel is currently an Assistant Professor in Prof. Farrer’s team and while his current research interests focus on LRRK2, he is actively involved in functional studies of both SNCA and DCTN1.