Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin Madison
Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty - 2022
What inspired you to pursue aging research?
I grew up in a culture that deeply respects elders and I was raised by my grandmother. Towards the end of her life, my grandmother struggled with several age-related diseases including type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease which impacted her ability to enjoy some of her favorite recipes and led to her death before the age of 70. Only through major breakthroughs and innovation, will we be able to prolong lifespan and healthspan to benefit our society.
In your view, what does AFAR mean to the field, and what does it mean for you to receive an AFAR grant now?
As an early career investigator in the field of aging, it is extremely validating to receive a prestigious AFAR grant. This grant is a validation of my labs work, and awards the dedication of the lab members who have pursued this research during the pandemic. This support will allow us to deeply explore the lipid changes we see in human plasma samples and work to understand how these lipids are regulating energy expenditure.
How would you describe your research to a non-scientist?
When we take blood from humans and we run it on our mass spectrometers we are able to measure more than a thousand lipids in the blood. These plasma lipids function as a way for organs to communicate energy availability, immune response, and insulin sensitivity. We aim to understand how these lipids in the blood change with age related disease, and how the function to control energy expenditure in these diseases.
