Advancing our understanding of the mechanisms that govern organelle and lipid homeostasis in health and disease
The Olzmann research group employs a combination of systems biology, chemical biology, and cell biology strategies to elucidate the principles that regulate organelle biology and cellular lipid homeostasis. We are particularly interested in understanding the regulation and functions of neutral lipid storage organelles called lipid droplets. Dysregulation of lipid droplets and lipid metabolism has been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases, including prevalent metabolic diseases (e.g. obesity and fatty liver disease) and cancer. We are also interested in dissecting the cellular mechanisms that prevent lipotoxic damage, such as the accumulation of oxidatively damaged phospholipids during ferroptosis. Leveraging chemical-genetic approaches, we seek to define ferroptosis resistance mechanisms that can be therapeutically targeted as a strategy to treat therapy-resistant forms of cancer.