01/11/10

Story by Peggy Graham

College Scholar Shares Research

Margaret Kincaid

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — One of four JCCC College Scholars during the 2009-10 academic year, Margaret Kincaid, adjunct assistant professor, science, will give two lectures pertaining to an underlying cellular cause of human neurodegenerative diseases.

• Understanding the role of the dynein/dynactin motor in neurodegenerative diseases will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, in the Hudson Auditorium in the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at JCCC. A reception precedes the event at 6:30 p.m. in the Atrium.

• A reductionist approach to understanding the role of the dynein/dynactin motor in neurodegenerative diseases will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, in the Craig Community Auditorium, JCCC.

Intracellular trafficking plays an important role in a range of human disease. As a basic scientist, Kincaid is looking at one component of intracellular trafficking — the dynein/dynactin motor complex.

In her evening lecture, Kincaid will present her most recent data and explain the role the motor complex plays in human diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. A greater understanding of dynactin-dependent dynein movement may lead to potential treatment therapies.

In the daytime lecture, Kincaid will detail laboratory techniques she is using to determine how dynactin affects dynein-dependent transport inside cells. She will look at how the research is used to determine the effects of dynactin mutants, including mutations linked to ALS.

Kincaid has a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s degree in cell and molecular biology, and a PhD in cell biology and biophysics and molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She currently is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Stephen King, School for Biological Sciences, UMKC.

JCCC’s College Scholars program presents member of the college’s own faculty. For more information about the JCCC College Scholars program, contact Karen Martley, director, Staff and Organizational Development, 913-469-8500, ext. 3467.