With Knight Initiative support, Stanford researchers uncover a biochemical “off-ramp” in ketosis, rewriting our understanding of how ketosis influences metabolism.
I am a physician-scientist in the Division of Gastroenterology at Stanford University. My clinical and research interest has been in neurogastroenterology. Specifically, my research has been exploring the interplay between immune cells and the enteric nervous system, and evaluating how perturbations of this interaction as a result of aging disrupts gastrointestinal neuromuscular function. Ultimately, my hope is that insights from this research provide novel therapies for treating patients with motility disorders like constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
Dr. Sellers is a pediatric physician-scientist and research and clinical development consultant. As a pediatric gastroenterologist and ion channel physiologist, Dr. Sellers' work in academia and pharma over the last 20 years has focused on improving the lives of individuals with complex and rare diseases through providing cutting-edge clinical care and advancing research and drug development. Dr. Sellers previously led a basic and translational research laboratory at Stanford, focused on epithelial ion transport and acid-base regulation using a variety of human and animal models.
This week on From Our Neurons to Yours, we talk with Stanford neurologist Mike Greicius about his critique of new amyloid-clearing Alzheimer's drugs, and his optimism for the next wave of therapies currently in development.
Study in mice, supported by the Knight Initiative, suggests that an experimental cancer drug boosted brain metabolism, restored memory, and improved Alzheimer's symptoms. This novel approach may offer a new way to treat Alzheimer's beyond targeting amyloid plaques.
Psychedelics profoundly alter human consciousness through activation of 5-HT2A receptor proteins in the brain. This team aims to develop a molecular probe to permanently illuminate 5-HT2A receptors without modifying their function or expression, allowing scientists to better study the effects of psychedelics on these receptors.
RNA sensors are a cutting edge tool in synthetic biology for probing complex molecular pathways and creating “smart” molecular circuits in cells. This team leverages state-of-the-art synthetic biology tools to understand how oligodendrocytes contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and other demyelinating disorders.
The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) influences the development, maturation, and aging of the nervous system in ways that are not fully understood. TurboID, a synthetically engineered enzyme, can label CSF proteins to track their sources and development, providing insight into the roles the CSF plays in development, health, and disease.
This project's goal is to enhance brain resilience by promoting vascular brain health during aging. The research team's overarching hypothesis is that many people experience cognitive decline and dementia due to pathological aging. In pathological aging, mild brain injuries that would be repairable in the young, and even in older people with resilience, lead to damaged blood vessels in the brain.