Malene Hansen, PhD

Elucidating the regulatory network of the transcription factor HLH-30/TFEB

Aging is a fundamental biological process and the effects of aging contribute to a long list of serious diseases, including cancer. Dr. Hansen is interested in understanding the molecular changes that happen over time in the cells of an organism, and how such changes can contribute to the organismal decline with age.

For her Midcareer award, Dr. Hansen proposes two new research approaches, namely to use mammalian cell cultures as well as drug screening to investigate the molecular pathways that are important to aging processes. These approaches complement her lab’s primary model system, the nematode C. elegans, and will greatly help their research on the role of the cellular process called autophagy, the process that removes garbage from inside our body’s cells, which is believed to play an important role as we age. She hopes to identify novel mechanisms and drugs that regulate this process, providing potential avenues for future treatments.