Timothy Trinklein is a postdoctoral researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology working in the Sweedler Laboratory alongside Jonathan Sweedler, a chemistry professor, to further scientific knowledge and treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer's.

A pilgrimage of academic pursuit

Tim Trinklein.From growing up in Wisconsin, then earning his Ph.D. in the Pacific Northwest, Trinklein’s pilgrimage back to the Midwest embodies a sentiment that David Dodds Henry, the University of Illinois' 12th president, once shared: “We do not have mountains or oceans,” he said. “But we do have a great university.”

Trinklein's love of chemistry and research attracted him to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Sweedler steered him toward Beckman.

“I knew I wanted to work with Jonathan Sweedler,” Trinklein said of his decision. “Not only is he a longstanding leader in analytical chemistry, but his integration of chemistry with neuroscience creates an intersection that perfectly aligns with my interests.”

Beckman’s ‘true collaboration’ enables novel neuroscience research

Trinklein’s interest in Alzheimer’s disease centers around the need to solve a challenging problem affecting many people worldwide.

“It’s an extremely complicated disease and there’s not a lot of clear answers,” he said. “There’s been many hypotheses that aren’t right but by applying the right technology, it’s possible to find a potential solution.”

Diagram explaining mass spectrometry imaging. Credit: Trinklein.

Trinklein explained that by using mass spectrometry imaging, researchers can take a comprehensive look at how molecules, lipids, peptides and proteins change throughout Alzheimer’s disease. Sweedler’s lab is known for developing and implementing single-cell mass spectrometry imaging. While an MRI may help clarify a structure's structure, the imaging technique enables researchers to view hundreds or thousands of molecules and samples at a time.

By monitoring how the brain’s biochemistry changes as the neurodegenerative disease progresses, the researchers can potentially uncover early disease biomarkers through the biochemical imaging framework.

“There’s still a lot that’s unknown. One of the major pathologies of Alzheimer’s is the accumulation of an abnormal form of the protein ‘Tau,’ which is associated with memory loss,” Trinklein said. “We don’t understand what or how lipids and other biomolecules are changing during this protein build up. However, if you can find out what’s happening with those other molecules, it’s possible to have more information on early detection which can be applied to diagnostic tools.”

Researchers can analyze the molecules and data at an unprecedented level thanks to the imaging work fostered by Sweedler’s lab and the computational element provided by Fan Lam, an Illinois bioengineering professor and Beckman researcher.

Trinklein said that in the last two years, treatment for Alzheimer’s has improved. Still, Alzheimer’s remains an incurable disease, placing new treatments and diagnostic tools at the forefront of research.

“That intersection of true collaboration is unique at Beckman. There might be some researchers doing just the imaging part of this research or just the computational element,” Trinklein said. “The integration of both is novel.”

A different kind of climb

Trinklein is not only comfortable with the extensive collaboration fostered by Beckman, but he’s also passionate about teaching. During his Ph.D. program at the University of Washington, he taught many students in labs and other courses, and in the future would like to work in a faculty position conducting similar analytical chemistry-driven research.

In the meantime, Trinklein’s focused on his work with the Sweedler Lab. While not exactly the same as the sweeping, snow-capped mountain valleys of Washington, he’s taken a liking to climbing frozen waterfalls in northern Wisconsin and traveling down to climb the rocky bluffs in southern Illinois on the weekends.

“I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and my heart is still there,” he said. “I love mountains, but passion for research brought me here.”