Instructor in Investigation Molecular Biology, Mass General Research Institute

Instructor in Medicine Harvard Medical School

aging; cell aging; cell metabolism; mitochondria; protein biosynthesis

Our lab is based in the Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital. We are also a part of the Broad Metabolism Program based at the Broad Institute as well as the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School.

Our laboratory focuses on mitochondria, often referred to as the powerhouses of the cell. These organelles are found in virtually all of our body’s cells and are responsible for generating the bulk of cellular ATP. In addition, the organelle plays a central role in apoptosis, ion homeostasis, intermediary metabolism, and biosynthesis. Studies during the past 25 years have demonstrated a clear role of the mitochondrion in rare, inborn errors of metabolism. More recent studies, including those from our group, have implicated mitochondrial dysfunction in a variety of common human diseases, such as diabetes, neurodegeneration, cancer, and the aging process itself.