Johns Hopkins neurologist Lindsey Hayes discusses her research related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She studies the basic cell biology that regulates transactive response DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43), an essential RNA binding protein found in all types of cells in the body. TDP-43 becomes disrupted in patients with ALS and related neurodegenerative disorders. TDP-43’s reliance on binding to RNA may have important implications for understanding why it is disrupted in disease and may suggest strategies for designing therapies to prevent TDP-43 pathologies.