“Uncovering the Impact of Cell-Cell Metabolite Exchange on Aging”

Inauguration Lecture of Junior Group Leader Dr. Clara Correia-Melo on May 22, 2024, at Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute in Jena

On May 22, our Scientific Director, Prof. Dr. Dario Riccardo Valenzano, cordially invites you to the 4th lecture in the "FLI Inauguration Lecture Series" at 3 p.m. We are honored to have Dr. Clara Correia-Melo present her pioneering research titled “Uncovering the Impact of Cell-Cell Metabolite Exchange on Aging” in the seminar room “Nucleus.”

Dr. Correia-Melo leads the Junior Group “Host-Microbiome Metabolism in Aging,” where she and her team investigate the intricate metabolic communications between cells. Their research focuses on understanding how these interactions affect cellular and tissue function, influencing disease initiation, progression, and response to therapies. This research encompasses studies within the host, the host-microbiome interface, and microbial communities using bottom-up approachs. This includes in vitro characterization of cell-cell metabolite exchanges and in vivo validation of metabolic modulators.

Dr. Correia-Melo’s expertise in fundamental aging processes and metabolic interactions in microbial communities laid the foundations for her current work on host-microbiome metabolic interactions. Her group’s central research questions include: How does the metabolic crosstalk between cells modulate cellular and tissue function? How does it impact the way cells respond to environmental changes?

To address these questions, her lab employs state-of-the-art high-throughput (HTP) robotics platforms for culturing mammalian and microbioal cells, performing phenomics assays, and utilizing mass spectrometry-based technology for high-sensitivity targeted metabolomics. These advanced tools are currently being established at FLI, enabling groundbreaking research in this critical area of aging and metabolism.

Join us to gain insights into this innovative research and celebrate the inauguration of Dr. Clara Correia-Melo as a Junior Group Leader at FLI.