About Kendall’s research:
My project is focused on the regulation of inositol biosynthesis. Inositol is a six-carbon ring made from glucose and a precursor to several essential signaling lipids, including: phosphoinositides, inositol phosphates, and inositol pyrophosphates. These molecules are stringently regulated, especially in neuronal tissues, and inositol dysregulation is a well-documented characteristic of neurological disorders. One such disorder of particular interest to me is bipolar disorder. Individuals with this condition experience debilitating mood swings ranging from depression to mania. Unfortunately, mood stabilizing drugs are not always effective and can lead to patient complications, such as liver toxicity and birth defects. Better drugs need to be developed but this effort is hindered by our lack in understanding the mechanism of action of mood stabilizers.
One of the drugs used to treat bipolar disorder is valproate, which inhibits inositol biosynthesis, however, the mechanism of action is unknown. One hypothesis suggests that inhibition is likely due to downregulation of myo-inositol-3-phosphate synthase (MIPS), the rate-limiting enzyme of inositol synthesis. My goal is to identify this mechanism of MIPS inhibition. Valproate has been shown to affect major metabolic controllers, such as TORC1 and AMPK, although the effects change if the cells are cancerous. There is also some evidence suggesting that MIPS is regulated by these metabolic controllers. I aim to 1) characterize this link between metabolic controllers and MIPS, 2) determine how valproate is affecting these major metabolic controllers, and 3) understand why cancer cells treated with valproate have different outcomes relative to non-cancerous cells.
More about Kendall:
I rarely turn down the opportunity to be active or play sports. And when I’m not running after a ball or climbing a wall, I really enjoy playing games (card, board, party, etc.), grabbing a beer with friends, and following my favorite television series; I even play video games when I feel up to it. I take on every day with a belief that I should leave things better than how I found them, and I take pride when I can improve or repair anything that needs the attention. I’ll take the satisfaction from the extra effort.
