Decoding the mechanisms of mitophagy mediated by Parkinson’s Disease proteins, PINK1 & Parkin
Join us for a Molecular and Cell Biology/ Brain and Neuroscience Special Seminar on “Decoding the mechanisms of mitophagy mediated by Parkinson’s Disease proteins, PINK1 and Parkin”.
Dr. Thanh Ricky Nguyen, PhD
Senior Research Officer, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Where and when
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
10:30 – 11:30 am
In person, Medical Sciences Building (MSB), room 2377
No registration required, all are welcome.
University of Toronto Medical Sciences Building
1 King’s College Circle
Toronto, M5S 1A8
About the speaker: Dr. Thanh Ricky Nguyen
Dr Thanh (Ricky) Nguyen is a molecular cell biologist specializing in mitochondrial quality control and its critical role in cellular health and disease.
Mitochondria not only provide energy but also regulate cell death and immune responses. Dysfunction in mitochondria is linked to numerous diseases, particularly neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.
Ricky earned his PhD in 2016 at La Trobe University under Professor Mike Ryan, a renowned expert in mitochondrial biology, where he studied mitochondrial regulation of programmed cell death. He then joined Professor Michael Lazarou’s lab at Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute and currently continues his work at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI).
His research focuses on the Parkinson’s disease proteins PINK1 and Parkin, which orchestrate mitophagy, the selective autophagic removal of damaged mitochondria.
In this seminar, Dr Nguyen will present recent discoveries that redefine our understanding of PINK1/Parkin mitophagy. His work has revealed novel molecular mechanisms controlling autophagosome formation at mitochondria, including alternative initiation strategies and key regulatory factors. These findings not only reshape prevailing models of mitochondrial quality control but also open new avenues for therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative diseases.
