How fat metabolism shapes blood stem cells
The Roles of Lipid Metabolism in the Maintenance of Hematopoietic Stem Cells
This project looks at how processing of fats inside blood stem cells affects their ability to renew and make healthy blood.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Albert Einstein College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bronx, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11329531 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will track how individual hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells use fats for energy by combining tiny biosensors that report fatty acid breakdown with metabolite measurements. They will watch single stem cells divide and move in the bone marrow using live imaging and a local transplantation system. Scientists will remove single cells from bone marrow for detailed laboratory assays and use single-cell analyses to link metabolic states to whether a stem cell self-renews or becomes a mature blood cell. Most experiments are done in animal models and in the lab to build a map of the lipid pathways that control stem cell behavior.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with blood disorders or those considering bone marrow transplantation could be the most likely to benefit from future trials or sample-donation opportunities related to this work.
Not a fit: Patients with conditions unrelated to blood or bone marrow are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this basic-science project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to protect or restore blood stem cells and improve treatments for blood disorders and bone marrow transplants.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work has shown mitochondrial and fatty acid metabolism affect stem cell function, but the single-cell imaging and live-cell fatty-acid biosensor approach here is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Bronx, United States
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine — Bronx, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ito, Keisuke — Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Ito, Keisuke
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.