With cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and neurodegenerative conditions on the rise, understanding their pathogenesis is paramount to tackling this public health crisis. Current research indicates that the primary cause of these diseases is mitochondrial dysfunction in the affected patients. While genetics plays a role in these conditions, lifestyle choices and exposure to toxins also significantly contribute to their development. Unfortunately, early-stage diagnosis can be difficult due to overlapping symptoms with other diseases. Developing innovative therapies that can prevent or reverse the deterioration of metabolic dysfunctions is critical to establishing early intervention. My research focused on investigating molecular targets linked with Friedrich's Ataxia, an inherited metabolic disorder, through conducting functional in-vitro studies using human-derived cell samples, as well as developing inventive animal models created via Xenopus laevis tadpoles to evaluate the effects of environmental stressors. My investigations have uncovered promising treatment options that improve mitochondrial function, mitigate oxidative stress, and elucidate critical mechanisms involved in environmentally induced disruptions to mitochondria. / Doctor of Philosophy / Metabolic dysfunction is a widespread health issue that affects millions of individuals each day. Its associated disorders, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions, are rising due to various factors ranging from genetic predispositions to environmental and lifestyle-related risks. Therefore, there's an urgent need to identify this disorder early on and develop innovative treatment options. Considering this growing public health concern, it has become imperative to establish new methods for detecting metabolic dysfunction at its nascent stage while also exploring potential therapeutic interventions. Our research utilized cells derived from affected patients and animal models in devising novel approaches toward understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning metabolic dysfunction. Our findings revealed several pathways and molecular targets contributing significantly to this condition, which could effectively be leveraged to develop targeted therapeutic strategies to combat its effects. Expanding our knowledge base will enable us to stay updated with emerging insights on treating metabolic dysfunction effectively while substantially improving patient outcomes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115429 |
| Date | 14 June 2023 |
| Creators | Thomson, Alexander Hugh |
| Contributors | Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise, Drake, Joshua Chadwick, Good, Deborah J., Thompson, Christopher, Grange, Robert W. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
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