Neuronal metabolism and axon health

September 20, 2023 @ 04:00 pm to 05:00 pm

Marc Hammerlund, Yale University

108 Wartik Laboratory
University Park

Abstract:

Neurons can respond to axon injury by regenerating, but regeneration is often unsuccessful. Independent of injury, degeneration can also damage axons, and axon degeneration is found in many neurodegenerative diseases. I will discuss new data linking iron metabolism to axon regeneration, and glucose metabolism to axon degeneration. Manipulation of these metabolic pathways in the model organism C. elegans can improve axon regeneration and protect axons against degeneration.

About the Speaker:

Marc did his PhD at the University of Utah with Erik Jorgensen, and stayed in Utah to do a postdoc with Mike Bastiani. He started his lab at Yale in 2008, and he is now a Professor with joint appointments in the Departments of Neuroscience and Genetics. Marc’s work focuses on the cell biology of axon degeneration and regeneration, and more recently he initiated Cengen, a large-scale neurogenomics project aimed at a complete description of gene expression in the C. elegans nervous system. Marc has received numerous awards, including from the Beckman and the Ellison foundations. Marc is also the Chair of the DEI Committee in the Department of Neuroscience at Yale. A fun fact about Marc is that he worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide before grad school.

Contact

Mellissa Rolls
mur22@psu.edu