Cells maintain health by recycling damaged components through autophagy. This research identifies proteins that connect the endoplasmic reticulum to the growing autophagic membrane, enabling lipid transfer required for cellular waste removal. Understanding this mechanism helps explain how failures in cellular cleaning contribute to aging and diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Mitochondria are known as the cell’s powerhouses, but new research shows they also guide cell movement. Using advanced imaging, this work reveals how mitochondria control direction and speed of migrating cells. Understanding this process may explain wound healing and how cancer cells spread throughout the body.

Gamma herpesviruses infect up to 95% of humans and can cause cancer, yet lack effective treatments. Using super-resolution microscopy, this research overturns the classic model of viral exit, revealing that herpesviruses build internal transport structures to escape cells efficiently—reshaping how we understand infection and opening new therapeutic possibilities.

Balanced cell growth is essential: too much can cause cancer, too little can cause skeletal disorders. This PhD project investigates a mysterious protein linked to dwarfism. By tagging it with GFP, the researcher discovered it drives fat-droplet formation, revealing a previously unknown function that may explain its powerful effects on body growth.