Exploring metabolism in aging, viruses, and cancer.

RESEARCH

aging
viruses
cancer

Altered metabolism occurs in many diseases that affect people who are elderly, but a key question remains: how does metabolism change throughout life? We are using metabolomic, lipidomic, and genetic techniques to define age-specific changes in metabolism in multiple organs. We are also uncovering metabolic differences between males and females that may explain why females have increased lifespan and healthspan compared to males. These studies will improve our understanding of the aging process and uncover potential targets to promote longevity.

Respiratory infections are the fourth leading cause of death globally. New strategies are needed to combat respiratory viruses that can become resistant to current therapies and to prepare for future emerging respiratory virus threats. As viruses are fully dependent on host cell metabolism to provide materials required for viral replication, can we exploit this vulnerability by altering whole-body metabolism? We manipulate dietary nutrients in multiple models of infection to identify metabolic vulnerabilities that could treat viral diseases. We also define metabolic differences between populations to uncover how sex and age affect disease severity.

Cancer incidence and severity increase with age, but are there age-specific changes in metabolism that contribute to these effects? We are answering this question using virus-driven cancer models in vitro and in vivo, using genetic and metabolic techniques to develop new targeted therapeutic strategies. As sex is also a risk factor for developing some cancers, we are also asking if there are sex-specific differences in metabolism that contribute to cancers in people who are elderly. Our goal is to ensure that our therapeutic strategies are correctly targeted based on age and sex, increasing the chance of a successful translation into the clinic.

NEWS

PUBLICATIONS

2024

A metabolic atlas of mouse aging

Steven E Pilley, Dominik Awad, Djakim Latumalea, Edgar Esparza, Li Zhang, Xuanyi Shi, Maximilian Unfried, Shuo Wang, Racheal Mulondo, Sriraksha Bharadwaj Kashyap, Darius Moaddeli, Peter Sajjakulnukit, Damien Sutton, Harrison Wong, Aeowynn J. Coakley, Gilberto Garcia, Ryo Higuchi-Sanabria, Sophia Liu, Bingfei Yu, William B Tu, Brian K. Kennedy, Costas A Lyssiotis, Peter J Mullen. A metabolic atlas of mouse aging. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.04.592445

2023

The aging tumor metabolic microenvironment

Pilley SE, Esparza E, Mullen PJ The aging tumor metabolic microenvironment. Curr Opin Biotechnol

2022

The metabolic relationship between viral infection and cancer

Mullen PJ, & Christofk, HR (2022). The Metabolic Relationship Between Viral Infection and Cancer. Annual Review of Cancer Biology, 6(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-cancerbio-070120-090423

CONTACT

We're looking for talented post docs and graduate students to come join our young and growing group!
Our address is 1501 San Pablo St, Los Angeles, CA 90033

We are located at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute (Room 517) on USC's Keck medical campus just east of downtown LA

Please email Dr. Mullen at petermul@usc.edu or contact him via his twitter @PeteMullen

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