Welcome to the Lewis Lab at OMRF!
Our lab is located in the Aging and Metabolism Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.
We aim to understand the role of neuronal mitochondria in development, aging and neurodegeneration.
Our work focuses on two main questions:
I. What are the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate compartmentalized morphology and function of mitochondria in neurons?
II. How are these mechanisms altered during the early stages of neurodegeneration, and how does this contribute to reduced neuronal function and degeneration?
These questions are probed using a suite of genetic, cellular and molecular tools including in vivo 2-photon imaging, in utero electroporation, viral transduction and proteomics.
Our longterm goal is to understand the physiological role for mitochondria in neuronal function, and to identify novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease.