Intracellular cholesterol trafficking in physiology
Alessandra Ferrari, Professor
Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology
Applications for Fall 2025 are closed for this project.
Cholesterol is a vital component of cellular membranes, with most residing in the plasma membrane while its synthesis occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Proper transport of cholesterol to the ER is essential for maintaining lipid, supporting esterification for lipoproteins, and enabling bile acid and steroid hormone production. The goal of this project is to identify novel mechanisms of cholesterol trafficking, uncovering how these pathways are regulated, examining lipid dynamics in physiological contexts, and determine how disruption in lipid transport contribute to metabolic disorders.
Role: Students will gain proficiency with cross disciplinary training of molecular biology, metabolism, mice handling, and computational techniques with the goal of becoming an independent researcher. Many more skills can be taught depending how engaged and eager the student is to learn.
Qualifications: Undergraduates seeking to apply should be eager to learn, have high attention to detail, and highly motivated and organized. Although previous research experience is not required, experience in working with molecular experiments in both vivo and in vitro model systems would be considered valuable. Significant hands on mentorship will be given and therefore the amount of time the student has to commit will be taken into consideration. Students will learn how to perform genotyping, DNA/RNA/protein extraction, qPCR, western blot, and cell culture.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Francesca Fantini , Post-Doc
Hours: to be negotiated
Related website: https://www.aleferrarilab.org/