The MitoCure lab, located in the Shared Instrumentation Research Facility (SIRF) at Merrimack College, conducts basic research to advance our understanding of immune aging and the onset and progression of age-associated diseases.
Our MissionMitoCure Lab aims to identify and ameliorate the effects of aging through research on cell biology and targeted therapies. By deepening our understanding of how the breakdown of mitochondria and other organelle functions leads to inflammation and affects human health. MitoCure aspires to mitigate the aging process and extend the human health span.
Established in 2018, MitoCure is led by Leena Bharath, the Pasini Professor in Health Sciences at Merrimack College. The lab expands on Bharath’s research on “inflammaging,” the chronic state of inflammation that occurs when we age, which leads to conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and immune cell aging.
The MitoCure Lab focuses on understanding aging at the cellular level. Our team is interested in understanding:
Emerging evidence shows a strong association between immune cell metabolism and its function. However, the mechanistic link between immune cell function and aging-associated changes in mitochondrial bioenergetics has not been explored and characterized thoroughly. Our recent findings show that the production of cytokines that are generally known to promote aging-associated diseases depends on the fuel-utilization pathways that the cells prefer. This finding stimulated our interest in studying “mitochondrial aging” and inflammation.
The Lab’s work on “inflammaging” and other research has been shared in a number of publications.
“The R15 grant is very special because it is specifically for training undergraduate students. The overarching goal of the grant is to encourage colleges like ours to get access to more NIH funding and have greater opportunities to train students at the undergraduate level.”
- Leena Bharath, Principal Investigator, MitoCure Lab
Lyanne Murphy
Emelia Zukowski (Graduate)
Heather Marszalkowski
Keleigh Gibney
Jack Rockhold
Marco Sanella
Thomas Regan
Rachel Conway(Graduate)
Samantha Durand
Alanna Keady (Graduate)
Joshua Cayer
Lindsey B.
Megan Thatcher
Reese Ricardi
Grace McCambridge
MitoCure Lab
Merrimack College
Dept. of Nutrition & Public Health
O’Reilly Hall 407A
315 Turnpike St.
North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: 978-837-3526
Email
After suffering her second ACL tear, Makayla Hutchinson ’25 shifted her focus from basketball to health sciences.
