We are interested in the basic abnormalities leading to neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Using a combination of automated fluorescence microscopy, computer science, genome engineering and bioinformatics we investigate RNA and protein metabolism, how deficiencies in these pathways lead to neuron loss in ALS and FTD, and how these pathways can be modified to prevent neurodegeneration.