معرفی
Christopher Berger is a Professor at the University of Vermont with a primary appointment in the Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics and a secondary appointment in Biochemistry within the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine. He has served in various leadership roles including as Director of the CMB Program from 2003-2006 and currently serves as the Director of Graduate Education for the College of Medicine.
Dr. Berger received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1991 and completed his post-doctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania before joining the University of Vermont faculty in 1994.
Dr. Berger's research focuses on the critical neuronal process of axonal transport, which is essential for delivering organelles, proteins, nucleic acids, and small molecules from the cell body to distal regions of the axon. His work investigates how defects in the axonal transport machinery—including molecular motors like kinesin and dynein, microtubule tracks, adapter molecules, and regulatory proteins like tau—contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and ALS. His laboratory employs molecular biology, fluorescence spectroscopy, and super-resolution single molecule imaging techniques in both in vitro and in vivo systems to understand the interplay between post-translational modifications on kinesin and tubulin, and different tau isoforms in regulating axonal transport under normal and pathological conditions.
Analysis of Dr. Berger's recent publications (2017-2019) reveals a consistent focus on molecular mechanisms of axonal transport, particularly examining how tau protein, microtubule modifications, and kinesin motor proteins interact. His work spans cell biology, neuroscience, and biophysics, with particular emphasis on understanding the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases. Several publications investigate how specific modifications to microtubules and tau affect kinesin motor function and intracellular transport.
Research Team
- Justin Paluba
- Liam Clancy
- Alisa Cario
