ChemBio Seminar by Prof. Nora Kory - Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health - CH637
Event details
| Date | 23.05.2025 |
| Hour | 16:15 › 17:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Nora Kory |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Title:
Mitochondrial transporters and the control of cellular metabolism
Abstract:
Humans encounter over 200,000 metabolites through diet and modern living. Intricate mechanisms of cellular compartmentalization enable organisms to orchestrate such metabolic complexity. We explore how organelles control key metabolite concentrations and establish dynamic cellular environments, with a focus on solute carriers and other transport proteins.
One major research direction in our lab aims to define the functions of compartmentalization in metabolic regulation, particularly concerning nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Decreased NAD levels with aging are linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and other aging-related changes. Our recent identification of SLC25A51 as a mitochondrial NAD transporter gives us a tool to understand how intracellular NAD compartmentalization affects key cellular processes and physiological outcomes. Notably, we have identified the mitochondrial NAD transporter SLC25A51 as a modulator of cellular senescence in pancreatic beta cells. We demonstrate that deleting the transporter prevents diabetes-associated beta cell senescence and improves glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in mice.
Biography:
Dr. Nora Kory completed her undergraduate and master’s studies in chemistry and biochemistry at Munich University before moving to the United States. At Yale University, she combined her passions for metabolism and cell biology to study the molecular mechanisms of how cells store fat. Her PhD research identified factors that determine the lipid droplet protein composition. During her postdoctoral studies at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Dr. Kory discovered elusive transport proteins responsible for bringing critical metabolites into mitochondria. Her current research focuses on how mitochondria exchange metabolites with the rest of the cell while maintaining their unique chemical environment. Motivated by the consequences of mitochondrial dysfunction on numerous diseases, Dr. Kory’s overarching goals are to understand how alterations in mitochondrial transport influence aging and age-related diseases and to leverage this knowledge for therapeutic development. Her groundbreaking contributions have earned her a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Cancer Institute, a R35 Maximizing Investigators' Research Award from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, a Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award, and recognition as a STAT Wunderkind.
Website:
kory-lab.com
Mitochondrial transporters and the control of cellular metabolism
Abstract:
Humans encounter over 200,000 metabolites through diet and modern living. Intricate mechanisms of cellular compartmentalization enable organisms to orchestrate such metabolic complexity. We explore how organelles control key metabolite concentrations and establish dynamic cellular environments, with a focus on solute carriers and other transport proteins.
One major research direction in our lab aims to define the functions of compartmentalization in metabolic regulation, particularly concerning nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Decreased NAD levels with aging are linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and other aging-related changes. Our recent identification of SLC25A51 as a mitochondrial NAD transporter gives us a tool to understand how intracellular NAD compartmentalization affects key cellular processes and physiological outcomes. Notably, we have identified the mitochondrial NAD transporter SLC25A51 as a modulator of cellular senescence in pancreatic beta cells. We demonstrate that deleting the transporter prevents diabetes-associated beta cell senescence and improves glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in mice.
Biography:
Dr. Nora Kory completed her undergraduate and master’s studies in chemistry and biochemistry at Munich University before moving to the United States. At Yale University, she combined her passions for metabolism and cell biology to study the molecular mechanisms of how cells store fat. Her PhD research identified factors that determine the lipid droplet protein composition. During her postdoctoral studies at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Dr. Kory discovered elusive transport proteins responsible for bringing critical metabolites into mitochondria. Her current research focuses on how mitochondria exchange metabolites with the rest of the cell while maintaining their unique chemical environment. Motivated by the consequences of mitochondrial dysfunction on numerous diseases, Dr. Kory’s overarching goals are to understand how alterations in mitochondrial transport influence aging and age-related diseases and to leverage this knowledge for therapeutic development. Her groundbreaking contributions have earned her a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Cancer Institute, a R35 Maximizing Investigators' Research Award from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, a Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award, and recognition as a STAT Wunderkind.
Website:
kory-lab.com
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free