Research Summary
Metabolism powers every process in our cells, from generating energy to building the molecules of life. When it falters, the effects ripple through the body, contributing to diseases of metabolism, cancer, immunity, the brain, the heart — and even aging itself.
While scientists have mapped many metabolic pathways, we still lack a spatial and temporal view of metabolism—how nutrients flow within organelles, between neighboring cells, across tissues, and through the whole body.
We ask:
Where does metabolism actually happen, how fast does it flow,, and how does location change the outcome?
We develop spatial fluxomics: an integrated toolkit that measures where and how fast metabolites move across scales. We combine stable isotope tracing, spatially resolved metabolic sampling across organelles, cell–cell interfaces, and tissue microenvironments, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and computational modeling—linking mitochondria to microenvironments to organismal physiology.
By mapping metabolism in its true spatiotemporal context, we aim to reveal actionable vulnerabilities in cancer, metabolic disease, and immune dysfunction—and reprogram metabolic circuits to improve health.
Research Projects
Our research currently centers on several interconnected projects that address metabolic regulation at different biological scales. Below are some of our major research directions:
Some of the major directions of the the lab are:
Develop methods for subcellular metabolomics and fluxomics
Small molecules and lipids are central to physiology, cancer biology, immunology, microbiome research, aging, and many other areas of biology. Their extraordinary chemical diversity—far greater than that of proteins or nucleic acids—demands highly customized strategies for accurate measurement.
We provide tailored LC/MS-based metabolomics analysis, working closely with investigators to design experiments, optimize sample preparation, acquire high-quality data, and perform rigorous analysis. Each project’s methods are adapted to its specific scientific goals.
Mitochondrial control of in situ and in vivo (patho)physiology
TBD
Quantitative characterization of tissue microenvironment
TBD
Systemic and tissue-specific responses to environmental stimuli
TBD
Metabolomics Analysis
Small molecules and lipids are central to physiology, cancer biology, immunology, microbiome research, aging, and many other areas of biology. Their extraordinary chemical diversity—far greater than that of proteins or nucleic acids—demands highly customized strategies for accurate measurement.
We provide tailored LC/MS-based metabolomics analysis, working closely with investigators to design experiments, optimize sample preparation, acquire high-quality data, and perform rigorous analysis. Each project’s methods are adapted to its specific scientific goals.