Joseph A. Loo

Joseph A. Loo is a Professor jointly appointed in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Department of Biological Chemistry at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He serves as the Faculty Director of the UCLA Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Technology Center and holds affiliations with the UCLA/DOE Laboratory for Genomics and Proteomics and the UCLA Molecular Biology Institute. With over 340 publications, Dr. Loo is a leading expert in mass spectrometry applications for protein characterization.

His research focuses on:

• Developing advanced mass spectrometry techniques (ESI, MALDI, ion mobility) for structural analysis of proteins and macromolecular complexes
• Investigating protein interactions, post-translational modifications, and gas-phase protein structures
• Discovering disease biomarkers through proteomic profiling of biological fluids (e.g., human saliva)
• Studying protein misfolding and aggregation mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases
• Analyzing non-covalent protein complexes up to 1 MDa in size

Dr. Loo's publications demonstrate consistent focus on structural proteomics, disease mechanisms, and analytical method development, with recent work emphasizing neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's), bacterial pathogenesis, and therapeutic interventions using molecular tweezers and nanobodies.

Honors and Awards:

• ANACHEM Analytical Chemistry Award (2022)
• AAAS Fellow (2021)
• EAS Award for Outstanding Achievement in Mass Spectrometry (2021)
• Analytical Scientist Power List (2019-2021)
• NIH EUREKA Award (2008)
• Hanson-Dow Teaching Excellence Award (2014)

He directs the Loo Research Group and UCLA's Mass Spectrometry Center, overseeing interdisciplinary projects in analytical biochemistry. Previously, he led mass spectrometry teams at Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis (Pfizer) for a decade. Current work includes NIH-funded projects on non-canonical decoding impacts and biomarker discovery pipelines.