We are applying metabolic engineering in combination with current biochemical and molecular biology approaches to investigate a variety of cell models of relevance to medicine and biotechnology.

Diabetes and Obesity

Metabolic determinants of hepatic lipotoxicity

This project investigates alterations in lipid and central metabolic pathways that contribute to hepatocyte apoptosis and dysfunction in the presence of elevated free fatty acids. [Read More]

Regulation of glucose metabolism

We are collaborating with several investigators in Vanderbilt’s Diabetes Research Center to develop novel techniques to quantify rates of glucose metabolism in both animal models and cultured cells. [Read More]

Cancer Metabolism

Oncogenic reprogramming of tumor cell metabolism

We are applying ¹³C flux analysis and biochemical profiling to investigate the role of oncogenic proteins in regulating critical metabolic functions of tumor cells, and to identify metabolic pathways that can be inhibited to selectively impede tumor growth. [Read More]

Cell Culture Engineering

Limiting lactate production in industrial CHO cell cultures

We are applying ¹³C flux analysis to understand how lactate production is regulated in fed-batch cultures of industrial cell lines used to manufacture recombinant proteins. [Read More]

Photosynthesis Research

Engineering C3 plants with carbon concentrating mechanisms

This project applies ¹³C flux analysis to quantify metabolic phenotypes of Arabidopsis plants that have been engineered to enhance carbon fixation by the RuBisCO enzyme. [Read More]

Enhancing metabolic flux to photosynthetic bioproducts

We are applying metabolic engineering and ¹³C flux analysis to redirect carbon toward biofuel compounds in engineered strains of cyanobacteria. [Read More]