Award Details:
Award Type: Catalyst
Award #: C-105
Proposal Title: Membrane Dynamics in Lipid Storage Disorders
PI(s): Stephanie Cologna (UIC) and Neha Kamat (NU)
Award Amount: $$249,813
Application Cycle: Round 31 (Fall 2021)
Award Start Date: June 1, 2022
Award End Date: May 31, 2024
Abstract:
The enclosed application seeks to develop a new collaboration between the Cologna laboratory (UIC) and the Kamat laboratory (NU) bringing together interest and expertise in lipid biochemistry and biophysics. Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) is a fatal, neurodegenerative disorders that arises due to improper endo-lysosomal trafficking of cholesterol and there is currently no FDA-approved therapy for this disorder. Here, we will investigate how the alteration of cholesterol trafficking impairs membrane properties such as the plasma membrane, the endolysosomal membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum. Additionally, we will seek to understand how membrane properties that are altered may play a role in protein folding, which is the underlying reason why patients with point mutations cannot recycle cholesterol properly. In sum, this work is a new area of research for both groups and will pave a new area of understanding and therapeutic potential.