Jacob McPhail

Jacob McPhail, PhD is a Professional Researcher in the Department of Neurology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). His research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, protein aggregation mechanisms, and the interplay between lipid kinases and viral replication. Key areas include tau protein pathology, microglial biology, and the development of chemical probes targeting PI3K/PI4K enzymes for therapeutic applications in cancer, infectious diseases, and neurological disorders.

His work bridges biochemistry, pharmacology, and structural biology, with notable contributions to understanding how post-translational modifications and protein structures influence disease progression. McPhail has pioneered techniques like two-color coincidence single-molecule pulldown for detecting disease-associated aggregates and has advanced antimalarial drug discovery through structural studies of Plasmodium falciparum kinases.

Publications highlight his exploration of viral manipulation of cellular phosphoinositides, mechanisms underlying enterovirus replication, and the design of brain-penetrant compounds for neurodegenerative therapies. His research aligns with UCSF's Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (IND), though specific lab affiliations are not detailed here.