Looking at Liver Functions — The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders has awarded Drs. Allan Wolkoff and Ana Maria Cuervo $2.9 million over four years to study two processes, endocytosis and autophagy, which are fundamental to the health of liver cells. Endocytosis (how cells engulf material) and autophagy (how cells eliminate internal toxic products) are related events that involve containment of material within similar internal compartments and play critical roles in protein breakdown. Drs. Wolkoff and Cuervo will study these pathways and how they interact to contribute to the maintenance of optimal health in liver cells. Dysfunction in these two pathways is associated with a variety of human diseases and these studies will provide fundamental knowledge that may suggest therapeutic targets for restoring normal liver function or for slowing decline in related liver diseases. Dr. Wolkoff is professor of medicine and of anatomy and structural biology, director of the Marion Bessin Liver Research Center and chief of the division of gastroenterology and liver diseases in medicine. He also holds the Herman Lopata Chair in Liver Disease Research. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology, of anatomy and structural biology and of medicine, and is co-director of the Einstein Institute for Aging Research. She also is the Robert and Renee Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases.
Posted on: Monday, May 20, 2013