Metabolic reprogramming of skeletal muscle stem cells
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Research Project Leader
Professor Gordon Lynch+61 3 8344 0065
Project Details
One of the most important and unanswered questions in stem cell biology is how decisions regarding cell fate are regulated, specifically whether a cell undergoes self-renewal or commitment to a specific lineage. While the better part of the 20th century focused on the importance of cellular metabolism for the generation of energy, recent work has uncovered an essential role for metabolism in the generation of the building blocks (nucleotides, phospholipids, and amino acids) required by rapidly dividing cells.
Additionally, the metabolite balance of both stem and differentiated cells has been found to directly influence the epigenome through post-translational modifications of histones, DNA and transcription factors and therefore has important implications for stem cell lineage progression.
The overall goal of research into the link between metabolism and stem cell identity is to improve stem cell transplantation and regenerative medicine, nuclear reprogramming, transdifferentiation, and stable ex vivo expansion of stem cells.
This project will utilise cutting-edge single cell RNAseq techniques in collaboration with researches at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, and will have broad application in the fields of regenerative medicine, synthetic biology and cellular agriculture
Researchers
Dr Kate Murphy, Senior Research Fellow
Dr James Ryall, Senior Research Fellow
Dr Kristy Swiderski, Senior Research Fellow
Dr Justin Hardee, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr Marissa Caldow, Senior Research Fellow
Audrey Chan, Research Support Officer
Jennifer Trieu, Research Assistant
Timur Naim, Research Assistant
Dylan Chung, Research Support Officer
Alaina Lee, Senior Research Assistant
Suzannah Read, Research Assistant
Students
Savant Thakur, PhD student
Francesca Alves, PhD student
John Nguyen, Masters student
Chloe Li, Masters student
Aundrea Quek, Masters student
Yichen Xue, Honours student
Funding
2019-2021 ARC Discovery Project. Mechanisms of age - related changes in amino acid signaling in skeletal muscle
2018-2021 NHMRC Project Grant. Rescuing the Dystrophin-Glycoprotein Complex to protect muscles from wasting conditions
2018-2020 Duchenne Parent Project. Evaluating a sulforaphane-based nutraceutical to alleviate gastrointestinal dysfunction in DMD
2017-2020 NHMRC Project Grant. Therapeutic potential of skeletal muscle plasticity and slow muscle programming for muscular dystrophy
2017-2020 NHMRC Project Grant. A simple method to improve stem cell transplant therapy
2017-2019 Cancer Council Victoria. Using novel Fn14 inhibitory antibodies to treat cardiac cachexia in cancer
2015-2019 ARC Discovery Project. Understanding the cellular cues that direct muscle stem cell specification
Research Opportunities
This research project is available to PhD students, Masters by Research, Honours students, Master of Biomedical Science, Post Doctor Researchers to join as part of their thesis.
Please contact the Research Group Leader to discuss your options.