Noel Lazo

Noel Lazo serves as a Professor in the Carlson School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Clark University, where he has maintained an active research laboratory since 2006. His work bridges chemistry, biochemistry, and neuroscience through investigations of protein aggregation disorders. Affiliated with both the Chemistry and Biology departments, he directs a multidisciplinary team examining molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases.

Dr. Lazo's educational background includes a B.S. from the University of the Philippines, M.S. from SUNY Syracuse, and Ph.D. in Chemistry (specializing in solid-state NMR) from Texas A&M University under James Haw. His postdoctoral training spanned biological NMR at Brigham and Women's Hospital and UCLA Neurology before his faculty appointment at Clark.

His research focuses on proteolytic degradation and aggregation of proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes, particularly amyloid-β, ApoE isoforms, insulin-degrading enzyme, and islet amyloid polypeptide. Using integrated approaches including NMR spectroscopy, circular dichroism, mass spectrometry, and biochemical assays, his lab deciphers molecular mechanisms of protein oligomerization and degradation. Current projects investigate how anionic membranes modulate insulin degradation, differential ApoE isoform susceptibilities, and polyphenol effects on amyloid formation.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2010-2025) reveals an evolving research trajectory from fundamental peptide self-assembly mechanisms toward disease-relevant pathological processes. Early work characterized helix-to-sheet transitions and thioflavin T binding, while recent studies address Alzheimer's-diabetes connections through insulin-degrading enzyme modulation, ApoE proteolysis, and neurotoxic Aβ amplification cascades. Key thematic areas include membrane-protein interactions, enzyme kinetics regulation, and natural compound interventions.

• National Institute on Aging/NIH Grant R15AG055043 (2018-2021): 'Determinants of the Proteolytic Degradation of Soluble Amyloid-beta'
• Lise Ann and Leo E. Beavers II Endowment (recurring support for Alzheimer's/diabetes research)

Dr. Lazo has mentored over 50 graduate and undergraduate students since 2006, with current trainees including PhD candidate Merc M. Kemeh and undergraduates Brianna Leckie, Joseph Tramontozzi, and Nathaniel Collins. His laboratory maintains active collaborations across neuroscience and biochemistry fields, with recent work featured in ACS Chemical Neuroscience and presented at Neuroscience 2022. The lab operates from S-335 Sackler Sciences Center, utilizing advanced spectroscopic and biochemical facilities for investigating protein complexes associated with late-onset disorders.