Research summary
Fat molecules called lipids are essential for all cells in the body. But too many lipids is toxic. Neurons—a type of brain cell—protect themselves from lipids that accumulate during cell stress by transporting them to neighbouring brain cells (called glia) that are better equipped to detoxify them. Defects in this transport pathway are associated with cell death in neurodegenerative diseases and strokes.
As Canada Research Chair in Brain Lipid Cell Biology, Dr. Maria Ioannou is using innovative imaging-based approaches to gain a deeper understanding of how lipid transport works. She and her research team are determining how neurons release lipids during stress and the role of this process in ischemic stroke. They are also studying how glial cells regulate lipid storage, metabolism and detoxification. Ultimately, this work could lead to drug therapies to reduce cell death in patients suffering the effects of neurodegenerative disease and stroke.