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Our Research
Exploring the Cellular Metabolic Pathways for Longer Healthspan
Metabolic pathways form the fundamental framework of every living organism. The unperturbed function of the intricate network of cellular metabolism is critical for maintaining the health of cells, organs, and the entire organism. Notably, the occurrence of a majority of age-related diseases escalates exponentially as the overall body metabolic rate declines, underscoring the central role of metabolism in determining how long we can sustain good health.
Ideally, we could counteract this decline by modulating crucial metabolic pathways.
Majority of these pathways are still waiting to be discovered. We are using organelle-centered approaches, metabolic disease research, and cross-species stem cell platforms to discover these pathways and decode resilience to aging biology
Basic mechanisms - Organelle Focus
The majority of cellular metabolic pathways converge in mitochondria, and mitochondria are critical drivers of age-related diseases. There are numerous mitochondrial proteins, lipids and metabolites, which are not direct constituents of oxidative phosphorylation chain, but still have essential function for cells and tissues.
We explore beyond ATP production - mapping proteins, lipids and structural components within mitochondria and other organelles. The ultimate outcome is an understanding of the mechanisms leading to metabolic decline and senescence.
Metabolic Disease as a Window into Aging
Studying rare diseases with aging-like features has uncovered important insights into aging biology. In a similar manner, inborn errors of metabolism, known and unknown, might conceive more of these critical aspects, as the same pathways become dysfunctional in aged population.
We study rare inborn errors of metabolism that connect impaired metabolism in inherited diseases and also in aging to reveal metabolic pathways of resilience with a potential of interchangeable treatments for rare diseases and healthspan extension.
Evolutionary Metabolomics: The CMLCA Initiative
Millions of years of evolution have shaped diverse lifespans and healthspans in organisms, rooted in molecular foundations that were refined through evolutionary engineering. It is plausible that these adaptation mechanisms are not limited only to variable DNA repair efficiency or tumor suppressor mechanisms but also cellular metabolic adaptations.
By extending our work to iPSCs from diverse species, our objective is to unveil evolutionary conserved metabolic mechanisms that extend healthspan, with the ultimate goal of applying this knowledge to extend the human healthspan.
Interested in Collaborating?
We are currently growing and open to collaboration. If our work resonates with your research, resources or vision, we'd love to hear from you.
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