Sarah Coffey
Program: Immunology
Current advisor: Jonathan R. Brestoff, MD, PhD, MPH
Undergraduate university: Princeton University
Research summary
My current project focuses on understanding how mitochondria transplantation could be used as a therapy for genetic mitochondrial diseases. Our lab recently published a paper showing that transplantation of mitochondria isolated from healthy mice to mice with a monogenic form of Leigh syndrome, a severe neurodegenerative disease in which mitochondrial respiration is significantly impaired due to a mutation in electron transport chain complex I, significantly extends lifespan and improves neurologic function. My work aims to determine the mechanism for this effect and the impact of mitochondria transplantation on the immune system.
Graduate publications