ABOUT THE LAB
#Mitochondria All the Time
Although all mitochondria make ATP, emerging evidence suggests that the efficiency of this process varies widely across the human body’s > 200 distinct cell types. Such mitochondrial specialization allows for genetically identical mitochondrial populations across organs to individually align energy efficiency with physiology (i.e., promote bioenergetic fidelity). Simply stated, all mitochondria are not created equal; rather they are bioenergetically tailored to their respective host cell’s physiology. Our laboratory is principally interested in understanding how mitochondrial efficiency aligns with physiology across cells/organs, with a specific focus on how this process is modified to support the cancer phenotype.
Our Lab
The fundamental hypothesis of the lab states that the accelerated anabolism required to fuel malignancy must, by first principles, coincide with bioenergetic adaptations. The long-term goal of the lab is to identify the unique bioenergetic signatures that demarcate cancer from non-cancer and to use this information to design and develop targeted ‘mito-therapeutics’. We aim to accomplish this goal by leveraging a state-of-the art mitochondrial diagnostics workflow we developed which unites comprehensive, discovery-based bioenergetic characterization with large-scale analysis of the mitochondrial proteome using mass spectrometry. The functional arm of this platform is unique in that it represents the first iteration of a true ‘discovery-based’ biochemical toolkit, similar in scope to traditional ‘omics’ technologies. Individual projects across the lab seek to elucidate bioenergetic remodeling in the context of human blood cancer (e.g., acute myeloid leukemia) and solid tumors using a combination of in vitro and in vivo model systems or mouse and human origin.