Research Activities
My laboratory studies gene-nutrient interactions that lead to development of disease. It is clear that what we eat can be associated with disease onset, and some individuals are more likely to be affected based on certain genetic, or inherited, characteristics. We investigate these interactions at a molecular level, with the ultimate goal of designing interventions that prevent disease and improve human health.

Impaired folate-dependent one-carbon metabolism is associated with adverse physiological outcomes that include certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, neurological impairments, and birth defects. Our laboratory uses several in vitro and in vivo model systems to study the mechanisms that underlie physiological outcomes associated with perturbed one-carbon metabolism. More specifically, we are interested in understanding the contributions of folate and/or vitamin B12 nutrition and enzyme localization in supporting mitochondrial DNA precursor synthesis, with a focus on understanding how folate nutrition affects mitochondrial DNA integrity and pathogenesis of metabolic diseases such as mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes, chronic disease, and age-related decline in mitochondrial function.