Laboratory head
Research projects and Student research
Meet the team
Research staff
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Students
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About the Molecular Metabolism and Ageing laboratory
Cardiometabolic diseases — including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease — are often considered heterogeneous, polygenic conditions. That is, these diseases develop from numerous different environmental and genetic causes. However, these diverse triggers ultimately disrupt a common set of pathways that manifest similar disease patterns.
Several decades of research have been dedicated to determining what these common pathways are, with significant progress made. Our group has an interest in several well-documented pathways, but much of our focus centres on the more recently identified dysfunction of mitochondrial activity.
Mitochondria: the cell's power plants and health sentinels
Found in almost every cell type in our body, mitochondria are organelles whose most well described cellular function is to burn glucose (sugar) and fatty acids (fats) to provide the cell with an continuous supply of energy (ATP). Healthy mitochondria are more efficient, and many cell types — particularly post-mitotic cells such as skeletal muscle, heart muscle and neurons — have developed unique ways to maintain a healthy pool of mitochondria.
This includes the control of degrading old or damaged mitochondria (mitophagy) or generating new mitochondria when necessary (biogenesis). Mitochondria are also highly sentitive health sensors for the cell, and can rapidly respond to environments or insults that might be damaging to the cell. The mitochondria sense this damage and feed this information back to the nucleus, which elicits a highly coordinated molecular response in order to resolve the insult. A main component of this molecular response is known as the mitochondrial integrated stress response (mtISR), which acutely can resolve mitochondrial stress, but maybe maladaptive if chronically activated. However, the molecular networks that control efficient mitochondrial health and these sensing pathways, remain incompletely understood. Even less is known about how these mitochondrial molecular networks are affected by, or causative for, cardiometabolic disease.
Our research approach
Our studies aim to elucidate key pathways and genes involved in mitochondrial function, energy metabolism and tissue health, determining how they can be therapeutically manipulated to prevent or treat cardiometabolic diseases and ageing.
Research focus
Disease areas
Diabetes, obesity, heart failure, liver disease, and degenerative disease of the heart, muscle and brain — understanding shared metabolic pathways across these conditions.
Novel gene identification and validation
Integrating cutting-edge technologies including genetic mapping and systems biology to identify novel regulators of cardiometabolic disease, mitochondrial function and energy metabolism.
Therapeutic manipulation of mitochondrial health
Determining whether genetic and pharmacological manipulation of mitochondrial health can prevent or reverse cardiometabolic disease and ageing.
One and Done Gene Therapies
Designing and validating targeted injectable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) carrying CRISPR gene editing machinery that facilitates novel, potentially life longtherapeutics to treat cardiovascular risk factors with a single injection.
Biomarker and diagnostic development
Identifying and validating novel biomarkers and diagnostics for cardiometabolic disease and ageing to enable early detection and monitoring.
Therapeutic Development
Earyl phase design and implementation of various new therapeutics including injectables and dietary supplements to treat conditions ranging from obesity, fatty liver, muscle wasting and heart failure.
Community engagement
We collaborate with the Baker Institute's Community Engagement Group to embed meaningful consumer and community voices into our research. This engagement has helped shape our study direction, refine recruitment and messaging, and support more relevant, accessible and impactful outcomes for people affected by metabolic diseases and the health challenges associated with ageing.
