
Advancing our understanding of the mechanisms that govern organelle and lipid homeostasis in health and disease
The Olzmann research group employs a combination of systems biology, chemical biology, and cell biology strategies to elucidate the principles that regulate organelle biology and cellular lipid homeostasis. We are particularly interested in understanding the regulation and functions of neutral lipid storage organelles called lipid droplets. Dysregulation of lipid droplets and lipid metabolism has been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases, including prevalent metabolic diseases (e.g. obesity and fatty liver disease) and cancer. We are also interested in dissecting the cellular mechanisms that prevent lipotoxic damage, such as the accumulation of oxidatively damaged phospholipids during ferroptosis. Leveraging chemical-genetic approaches, we seek to define ferroptosis resistance mechanisms that can be therapeutically targeted as a strategy to treat therapy-resistant forms of cancer.
RECENT NEWS
November 29, 2023
New collaborative publication with Ron Kopito's lab in Molecular BIology of the Cell – "Small molecule correctors divert CFTR-F508del from ERAD by stabilizing sequential folding states"
November 14, 2023
Congrats to Zhipeng and Mike on their new review out of Annual Review of Biochemistry – "Lipid quality control and ferroptosis: From concept to mechanism"
November 13, 2023
New collaborative publication with Scott Dixon's lab in Cell Chemical Biology – "Sensitization of cancer cells to ferroptosis coincident with cell cycle arrest"
September 26, 2023
Zhipeng Li leaves to start his own lab at the University of Florida. We will miss you, Z! So excited to see all that you accomplish in your lab!! Wishing you all the best.
September 16, 2023
New collaborative preprint with Ron Kopito's lab "Small molecule correctors divert CFTR-F508del from ERAD by stabilizing sequential folding states"
RECENT ARTICLES

Li et al.
Nature Chem Biol 2022
Reveals selenium metabolism and ribosome stalling as ferroptosis vulnerabilities
Bersuker et al.
Nature 2019

Identifies the CoQ oxidoreductase FSP1 as a powerful ferroptosis suppressor in cancer
