Daniel Klionsky Lab
We investigate how cells respond to stress conditions, and the broader implications for human physiology and disease — including in cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.
Our Research
The cells of higher organisms have an internal mechanism for chewing up and recycling parts of themselves, particularly in times of stress. This process of internal house-cleaning in the cell is called autophagy — literally self-eating — and it is now considered the second form of programmed cell death.
Autophagy, self-eating at the cellular level, is implicated in many aspects of human physiology and disease, including cancer, neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's and cardiomyopathy, an enlargement of the heart.
