The findings, from the Yang, Wu, Kishi and Su labs, could lead to better therapies for radiation injuries and hereditary disorders such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
The Cravatt lab has discovered that a gene mutation linked to hereditary spastic paraplegia, a disabling neurological disorder, interferes with the normal breakdown of triglyceride fat molecules in the brain.
The researchers, led by Assistant Professor Olivier George, are interested in how new drug delivery devices such as e-cigarettes and alcohol vaporizers may affect the brain and a person’s susceptibility to addiction.