Kenneth Matt Scaglione

Kenneth Matt Scaglione, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology and holds a secondary appointment in Cell Biology at Duke University. He is also an Adjunct Professor. His research focuses on protein homeostasis (proteostasis) in neurodegenerative diseases, utilizing model systems like Dictyostelium discoideum, human cell cultures, and mouse models. Key interests include understanding pathways that manage misfolded proteins and developing therapies for diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. He leads the Scaglione Lab, which explores novel chaperones (e.g., SRCP1), E3 ligases (e.g., CHIP), and N-terminal ubiquitination mechanisms.

Education: PhD in Biochemistry from Saint Louis University School of Medicine (2001). Postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan. Previously at the Medical College of Wisconsin before joining Duke in 2019.

Research highlights include identifying SRCP1’s role in suppressing polyglutamine aggregation and developing small molecule regulators for CHIP. His lab studies also target UBE2W, an E2 enzyme mediating N-terminal ubiquitination. Over 40 grants and publications reflect his work in proteostasis, neurodegeneration, and molecular chaperone biology.

Students and trainees under his mentorship span PhD, master’s, and undergraduate programs, contributing to projects on protein quality control, neurodegenerative disease models, and molecular mechanisms. The lab collaborates on translational research, including gene therapy approaches for ALS.