Jason Shepherd

Jason Shepherd is Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, where he also serves as Director of the Molecular Biology Program and holds adjunct appointments in Biochemistry and in Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. He is the Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Endowed Chair.

Education

• B.Sc. (Hons), University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
• Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University

Research Interests

Dr Shepherd’s laboratory investigates how neuronal networks store information over a lifetime. Using biochemical, electrophysiological, imaging and in-vivo approaches, the group revealed that the neuronal gene Arc encodes a repurposed retrotransposon Gag protein capable of self-assembling into virus-like capsids that transfer RNA between neurons via extracellular vesicles. Building on this discovery, ongoing projects dissect the role of Arc and related PNMA proteins in synaptic plasticity, memory formation, paraneoplastic neurological disorders and Alzheimer’s disease, while also exploring their potential as gene-delivery vectors.

Additional research threads include the molecular mechanisms of tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease, the role of Arc capsids in memory formation, and harnessing Gag-like genes for therapeutic gene delivery.

Recent Publication Themes

Works published since 2018 illuminate the structural biology of Arc/PNMA capsids, their evolutionary origin from retrotransposons, their impact on cognition and neuro-immune interactions, and the three-dimensional genome restructuring that accompanies activity-dependent gene expression in neurons.

Awards & Honors

• Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Endowed Chair

Laboratory & Teams

The Shepherd Laboratory is located within the Neurobiology Department at the University of Utah. The team combines expertise in virology, cell biology, electrophysiology and imaging to study intercellular communication in the nervous system.