Captivated by both medicine and research, Moran took up Melbourne University’s new MD/PhD program in 2022. He begun his research component at the Baker Institute under A/ Prof Brian Drew and Dr Simon Bond within the Molecular Metabolism and Ageing laboratory. With a global obesity epidemic and an ageing population, new interventions to protect against obesity and ageing are of increasing demand. Fascinated by metabolism and ageing, Moran decided to tackle two of the greatest health challenges to alleviate preventable suffering.

Using mice models, Moran investigates pathways to protect against unhealthy fat accumulation, which can lead to cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease and diabetes. By genetically and pharmacologically manipulating mitochondria (the energy supplier) of fat cells, he seeks to identify and repair the genes that lead to diseases of obesity while enhancing metabolism to protect against obesity and ageing. To increase the likelihood of success, Moran additionally works under Dr Lindsay Wu from the Laboratory of Ageing Research in Sydney and metabolic biochemist, Professor Kyle Hoehn.

By using a mitochondrial drug that increases the body’s usage of sugars and fats, Moran is hopeful that this can reduce the severity of mitochondrial diseases, while preventing the pathologies of obesity and ageing. If successful, this will prevent a host of chronic diseases downstream of obesity and ageing, enabling us to live healthier for longer.