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| Aishwarya Prakash, Ph.D., an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, is principal investigator for the grant. |
Aishwarya Prakash, Ph.D., an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Whiddon College of Medicine and a cancer researcher at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute, said the award will support research using cutting-edge computational modeling and various techniques in the lab involving culturing human cell lines to explore innovative ways to protect mitochondrial health while contributing to the basic understanding of future strategies to mitigate its dysfunction.
Mitochondria are essential for producing the energy required to sustain life, but they also are a significant source of harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species, which can damage mitochondrial DNA and impair cellular function. When exacerbated by pollution and harmful radiation, this damage can potentially lead to a myriad of maladies, including cancer. Mitochondrial DNA repair plays a role in mitigating such diseases.
“Our work aims to enhance the natural repair mechanisms of mitochondrial DNA by improving the targeting of key repair enzymes to mitochondria without disrupting their other cellular roles,” said Prakash, who serves as the principal investigator for the grant.
Co-principal investigator Tom Johnsten, Ph.D., a professor of computer science at USA, worked to develop the computation framework that the researchers will use to target the DNA repair enzymes to the mitochondria. The strategy is called Mitochondrial ARtificial Targeting, or MART.
“MART uses a computational framework to edit the signals that target specific proteins called DNA glycosylases to the mitochondria to enhance repair within the mitochondria,” Prakash said. “With the funding, we will study the impact of targeting these glycosylases to the mitochondria on overall cellular health.”
