Education

B.S., 2013, University of Notre Dame

Ph.D., 2020, Brown University

Honors & Awards

2024, 2025 Fellows Award for Research Excellence (FARE), NIH

2024 NIA Pathway to Independence Award

2021 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Neurodegeneration Challenge Network Recognition Award

2021 NIGMS Postdoctoral Research Associate Training Award

2018 NINDS Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award

Research Interests

Our research aims to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, in hopes that this will help us develop more effective therapies for neurodegenerative disease. We currently focus on frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, using iPSC-derived neurons, recombinant proteins, and C. elegans to understand mRNA transport and local translation in neurons. We use a variety of techniques including transcriptomics, proteomics, microscopy, biochemistry, structural biology, genetics, and cell biology to answer fundamental questions about neuron function in health and neurodegenerative disease. 

Selected Publications

Craig EJ# and Ryan VH#. Dysregulated neuronal mRNA transport and translation in FTD/ALS. NPJ Dement. 2026;2(1):56. doi: 10.1038/s44400-026-00116-5. 

Dargan RL, Mikheenko A, Johnson NL, Packer B, Li Z, Craig EJ, Sarbanes SL, Bereda C, Mehta PR, Keuss M, Nalls MA, Qi YA, Weller CA, Fratta P, Ryan VH#. Altered mRNA transport and local translation in iNeurons with RNA binding protein knockdown. Nucleic Acids Res. 2025 Aug 12; 53(14): gkaf709. 

Ryan VH#, Lawton S, Reyes JF, Hawrot J, Frankenfield AM, Seddighi S, Ramos DM, Faghri F, Johnson NL, Zou J, Kampmann M, Replogle J, Yuan H, Johnson KR, Maric D, Nalls MA, Ward ME#. Maintenance of neuronal TDP-43 expression requires axonal lysosome transport. eLife. 2025 Sep 19:14:RP104057. doi: 10.7554/eLife.104057.

Ryan VH, Perdikari TM, Naik MT, Saueressig CS, Lins J, Dignon GL, Mittal J, Hart AC, Fawzi NL. 2021 Tyrosine phosphorylation regulates hnRNPA2 granule protein partitioning & reduces neurodegeneration. EMBO J. 2021 Feb 1;40(3):e105001. doi: 10.15252/embj.2020105001.

Ryan VH, Watters S, Amaya J, Khatiwada B, Vendetti V, Naik MT, Fawzi NL. 2020 Weak binding to the A2RE RNA rigidifies hnRNPA2 RRMs and reduces liquid-liquid phase separation and aggregation. Nucleic Acids Res. 2020 Oct 9;48(18):10542-10554. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkaa710.

Ryan VH, Dignon GL, Zerze GH, Chabata CV, Silva R, Conicella AE, Amaya J, Burke KA, Mittal J, Fawzi NL. 2018 Mechanistic View of hnRNPA2 Low-Complexity Domain Structure, Interactions, and Phase Separation Altered by Mutation and Arginine Methylation. Mol Cell. 2018 Jan 17. pii: S1097-2765(17)30979-6. PMC5801700.