John J. Shacka, PhD, obtained his PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Following postdoctoral fellowships at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), he joined the faculty of the UAB Department of Pathology, Neuropathology Division.  Dr. Shacka’s research program is focused on the study of the autophagy-lysosome pathway in age-related neurodegenerative disease. In particular, he is interested in how targeting the lysosome may provide opportunities for therapeutics development. Dr. Shacka is currently exploring the lysosomal enzyme alpha-Galactosidase A (alpha-Gal A), the enzyme that is mutated in the rare lysosomal storage disorder called Fabry disease. His laboratory is actively investigating the potential for alpha-Gal A deficiency in Parkinson’s disease and whether alpha-Gal A is a useful therapeutic target for this indication.