London Research Lab

Research Program

• Lipid Signaling and Metabolism in Cancer 

Department

• Department of Chemistry
• Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology

Research Interest

The Structure and Function of Cholesterol-Rich Membrane Domains

In collaboration with Dr. Deborah Brown (Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology), our lab studies the structure and function of lipid domains enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids. These domains play key roles in viral and toxin entry, protein sorting, signal transduction, and amyloid formation. Using artificial lipid vesicles, we examine the principles that govern domain formation and composition, and we are extending these studies to mammalian cells.

Membrane Asymmetry: Effect Upon Membrane Domains, Membrane Protein Function, and Drug Delivery

Artificial membranes often lack lipid asymmetry — a key feature of natural membranes. We developed a method using cyclodextrins to create asymmetric artificial vesicles that mimic natural membranes. This system allows us to study domain formation, examine the impact of asymmetry on amyloid formation (in collaboration with Dr. Daniel Raleigh), and explore how asymmetric liposomes can improve drug delivery.

Controlling Lipid Composition in Membranes of Living Cells

Our lab also developed a method to replace the natural lipid composition of the outer leaflet of cell plasma membranes using cyclodextrins. This innovative approach enables us to investigate plasma membrane domain formation and the effect of lipid composition on membrane proteins such as the insulin receptor (in collaboration with Dr. Todd Miller, Department of Physiology and Biophysics).

Education

• BA, Queens College of the City University of New York, 1974
• PhD, Cornell University, 1980
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Publications

• View a complete list of publications.