Ralf Langen

Ralf Langen serves as Professor of Physiology & Neuroscience at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. He directs both the Protein Structure Center at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute and the Ph.D. Program in Medical Physiology, while co-directing the Ph.D. Program in Medical Biophysics. His academic leadership spans multiple interdisciplinary programs including the Programs in Biomedical and Biological Sciences and the PEW Scholar initiative.

Langen's research centers on protein folding and misfolding dynamics, with specific emphasis on membrane-mediated processes. His laboratory investigates how proteins regulate membrane structure/function through composition, fluidity, and curvature modulation, and conversely how membranes influence protein conformation. A major focus involves pathological protein misfolding in neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington's and Parkinson's, with particular attention to huntingtin exon-1 aggregation mechanisms. His work employs advanced biophysical techniques including site-directed spin labeling, EPR spectroscopy, and computational modeling to resolve structural dynamics at membrane interfaces.

Analysis of his publication record reveals consistent contributions to understanding membrane-protein interactions in amyloid formation. His recent work demonstrates how membrane environments alter aggregation pathways, generate toxic oligomers, and influence strain-specific pathology in polyglutamine disorders. Key findings include elucidating the role of post-translational modifications like lysine acetylation in membrane binding, characterizing conformational switching in huntingtin variants, and developing small-molecule inhibitors targeting aggregation.

• No scientific awards explicitly listed in source material

As director of USC's Medical Physiology Ph.D. program and co-director of the Medical Biophysics program, Langen oversees graduate training while maintaining active research mentorship. His laboratory receives funding for structural studies of neurodegenerative disease mechanisms, though specific grants aren't detailed in the source text. The Protein Structure Center under his direction provides critical infrastructure for membrane protein research.

Langen's primary research facility operates within the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, where his Protein Structure Center specializes in membrane-protein interactions. The center integrates biophysical, biochemical, and computational approaches to study conformational dynamics in disease-related proteins, with particular expertise in spin-labeling techniques for membrane-embedded systems.