Harnessing metabolism to prevent disease
(L-R) Prof. Anthony T. Vella, Dave Doneson, Edmund A. Grossman, and Prof. Atan Gross.
The Weizmann Institute recently partnered with three premier research institutions in Connecticut—Yale University, the University of Connecticut (UConn), and the Jackson Laboratory—to develop new therapies for metabolic diseases, which affect billions of people worldwide.
In October, two scientists behind the newly formed Metabolic Research Alliance, the Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Atan Gross and UConn’s Prof. Anthony T. Vella, spoke to over 50 American Committee supporters at the Harmonie Club in Manhattan. Prof. Gross, of the Department of Biological Regulation, discussed the role of mitochondria—the “powerhouses” of the cell—in coordinating metabolism and cell death, and the relevance to health and disease. Together, he and Prof. Vella will investigate a key mitochondrial protein whose absence is associated with increased metabolism or energy consumption. Their joint efforts may lead to new ways of controlling obesity, with the goal of moving findings from the lab to the clinic.
Guests were inspired to learn about this important collaboration, which offers hope to those across the globe who struggle with obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic conditions.
