The Field Laboratory, in the Division of nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, studies gene-nutrient interactions that lead to development of disease.  It is clear that what we eat can be associated with disease onset, and some individuals are more likely to be affected based on certain genetic, or inherited, characteristics.  We investigate these interactions at a molecular level, with the ultimate goal of designing interventions that prevent disease and improve human health.  

Impaired folate-dependent one-carbon metabolism is associated with adverse physiological outcomes that include certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, neurological impairments, and birth defects.  Our laboratory uses several in vitro and in vivo model systems to study the mechanisms that underlie physiological outcomes associated with perturbed one-carbon metabolism. More specifically, we are interested in understanding the contributions of folate and/or vitamin B12 nutrition and enzyme localization in supporting mitochondrial DNA precursor synthesis, with a focus on understanding how folate nutrition affects mitochondrial DNA integrity and pathogenesis of metabolic diseases such as mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes, chronic disease, and age-related decline in mitochondrial function. 

Recently, our research has also focused on the metabolism of erythritol, which is a product of the pentose phosphate pathway and which has recently emerged as a predictive biomarker of weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.  We have identified the enzymes responsible for endogenous production of erythritol and are currently using animal models to understand the metabolic pathways underlying the association between erythritol exposure, genetic variants that affect endogenous erythritol synthesis, and central adiposity.