Jay Tan received a Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award

School of Medicine Assistant Professor Jay Tan received an R35 Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for a project to research how our cells repair components called lysosomes.   

Lysosomes play essential roles in cells, and problems with lysosomes are associated with aging and diseases such as lysosomal storage disease, neurodegeneration and cardiovascular diseases. If lysosomes become permeable, it can cause damages that cells need to repair. However, we still know very little about the repair process.

Tan’s previous work, in collaboration with Aging Institute Director Toren Finkel, led to the discovery of the phosphoinositide-initiated membrane tethering and lipid transport (PITT) pathway as an essential way that lysosomes are rapidly repaired, and he also revealed the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying that repair. Activated in response to many disease-related lysosomal-damaging conditions — from chemical assaults to viral attacks — Tan revealed that the PITT pathway emerges as a critical guardian, swiftly repairing lysosomal damage to ensure cell survival.

Tan’s lab will continue studying membrane damage-triggered lysosomal lipid remodeling for better mechanistic understanding of lysosomal quality control and potential therapeutic applications. Through rigorous experimentation and collaborative efforts, the team aims to unlock the full potential of the PITT pathway for therapeutic purposes, informing researchers’ understanding of cellular quality control mechanisms to pave the way for transformative advances in biomedical science.