Brian Sohn, Rotation Student, MSTP (2025.6 - )

B.A., Biochemistry, Washington University in St. Louis

Email: brian.sohn AT uchicagomedicine.org

Brian Sohn obtained his Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) in 2023. During college, he conducted research in Dr. Meredith Jackrel’s biochemistry laboratory, where he studied Matrin-3, a gene implicated in ALS, using yeast models of disease. During his gap year, Brian worked as a research technician in Dr. Rajendra Apte’s ophthalmology laboratory at WashU Medicine, investigating the molecular drivers of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using cell culture and mouse models. Currently, Brian is interested in neurogenetics, with a particular focus on uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying various neurological disorders and developing targeted therapeutic strategies to treat them.

Representative publications:

  1. Terao, R., Sohn, B. S., Yamamoto, T., Lee, T. J., Colasanti, J., Pfeifer, C. W., Lin, J. B., Santeford, A., Yamaguchi, S., Yoshida, M. & Apte, R. S. (2024). Cholesterol Accumulation Promotes Photoreceptor Senescence and Retinal Degeneration. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 65(10), 29-29.

  2. Terao, R., Lee, T. J., Colasanti, J., Pfeifer, C. W., Lin, J. B., Santeford, A., Hase, K., Yamaguchi, S., Du, D., Sohn, B. S., Sasaki, Y., & & Apte, R. S. (2024). LXR/CD38 activation drives cholesterol-induced macrophage senescence and neurodegeneration via NAD+ depletion. Cell Reports, 43(5).

  3. Howard, M. K., Miller, K. R., Sohn, B. S., Ryan, J. J., Xu, A., & Jackrel, M. E. (2023). Probing the drivers of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm protein amyloidogenesis and disrupting biofilms with engineered protein disaggregases. mBio, 14(4), e00587-23.

  4. Sprunger, M. L., Lee, K., Sohn, B. S., & Jackrel, M. E. (2022). Molecular determinants and modifiers of Matrin-3 toxicity, condensate dynamics, and droplet morphology. iScience, 25(3).

  5. Howard, M. K., Sohn, B. S., von Borcke, J., Xu, A., & Jackrel, M. E. (2020). Functional analysis of proposed substrate-binding residues of Hsp104. PLoS ONE, 15(3), e0230198.

  6. Sohn, B., Olenskyj, A., & Feng, Y. (2017). Correlation between emulsifier concentration and emulsion droplet size in oil‐in‐water emulsion stabilized by zein nanoparticles. i-ACES, 3(1), 1-5.