Tristan Sprague

Tristan Sprague is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Molecular Biosciences at The University of Kansas. His research focuses on understanding the biochemical mechanisms of γ-secretase, a membrane protease implicated in familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD).

• Investigates how FAD mutations in presenilin or amyloid precursor protein reduce γ-secretase efficiency.
• Designs single-molecule fluorescence experiments to observe enzyme-substrate dynamics.
• Studies γ-secretase interactions with cholesterol-rich membrane environments using stereoisomers and diazirine-alkyne derivatives.

This work aims to elucidate structure-function relationships in γ-secretase for potential structure-based drug design targeting Alzheimer’s.