How cell compartments control metabolic signaling
Molecular Mechanisms of Organelle-based Metabolic Signaling
Researchers are looking at how parts inside cells send metabolic signals that may affect people with diabetes or cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Berkeley NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Berkeley, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11321294 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From my perspective as a patient, the team is studying how a key protein called mTORC1 moves to lysosomes and how that movement turns metabolic programs on and off. They will use cell-based experiments, biochemical methods, and likely animal models to probe how nutrients and cholesterol acting at lysosome–endoplasmic reticulum contact sites control mTORC1. By mapping these molecular steps, the researchers aim to find control points that could be targeted by new therapies. The work is basic but directly connected to processes implicated in type 2 diabetes and many cancers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with type 2 diabetes or cancers would be the most relevant candidates to provide samples or to benefit from eventual therapies informed by this work.
Not a fit: Patients whose illnesses are unrelated to metabolic signaling or mTOR pathways are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this basic laboratory research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new targets for drugs that better control metabolism in type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.
How similar studies have performed: Drugs that target mTOR signaling (for example, rapamycin) have shown clinical effects, but the specific organelle contact-site mechanisms explored here are newer and less tested.
Where this research is happening
Berkeley, United States
- University of California Berkeley — Berkeley, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zoncu, Roberto — University of California Berkeley
- Study coordinator: Zoncu, Roberto
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.