My lab studies how nutrients move through our bodies, particularly inside our cells. Our goal is to understand the proteins that transport essential vitamins and cellular building blocks in and out of small compartments within cells. One key compartment is the mitochondrion, often called the cell’s powerhouse, which produces the energy and building blocks cells need to function.

The human brain is especially sensitive to changes in nutrient supply, and maintaining a sufficient and constant energy supply to support brain function is not a trivial task. While the brain comprises only 2% of body weight, it consumes 20% of the body’s energy. When brain metabolism—the process of converting nutrients into energy—does not work properly, it can lead to diseases such as epilepsy, as well as neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. A growing area of research in my laboratory focuses on how transport proteins in brain cells help support brain metabolism and influence levels of key chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, which allow nerve cells to communicate. We use transporters as a lens to dissect the complex relationships between metabolism, neurotransmitter levels, and brain function. Ultimately, our goal is to understand how adjusting metabolic networks can be harnessed to prevent or treat diseases linked to altered metabolism in the brain.