Mohammad Shahnawaz

Dr. Mohammad Shahnawaz is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, affiliated with the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders. He holds a PhD in Protein Biochemistry from Chosun University and previously served as a Research Professor there. His career includes post-doctoral training at UTHealth, where he now leads innovative research in neurodegenerative diseases.

Education:

• PhD in Protein Biochemistry – Chosun University
• MSc in Biochemistry – Jiwaji University
• BSc in Chemistry – Magadh University

Dr. Shahnawaz's work centers on protein misfolding mechanisms in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. He developed the PMCA assay to amplify and detect pathogenic oligomers in biofluids, enabling early diagnosis. His lab isolates toxic aggregates from human brains to study their neurotoxic effects, bridging biochemistry with clinical neurology.

His 77+ publications emphasize biomarker discovery and diagnostic innovation. Recent articles explore α-synuclein strain differentiation, Aβ oligomer detection, and prion-like protein behavior, consistently advancing tools for neurodegenerative disease management.

Awards:

• APDA Research Grant (2019-2020)

He collaborates internationally on therapeutic development and currently supervises projects at the Mitchell Center, leveraging cross-disciplinary approaches to decode disease mechanisms.