The Fisher-Wellman Lab
Investigating mitochondrial function in cancer
Founded in 2018, our laboratory is located within the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. ECU is located ~ 100 miles inland of the beautiful North Carolina Outer Banks (pictured to the left) in Greenville, NC. #PirateNation.
Mitochondria in Cancer
Although all mitochondria make ATP, emerging evidence from our lab and many others suggests that the efficiency of this process varies widely across the human body’s > 200 distinct cell types. Such mitochondrial specialization allows for genetically identical mitochondrial populations across organs to individually align energy efficiency with physiology (i.e., promote bioenergetic fidelity). Simply stated, all mitochondria are not created equal; rather they are bioenergetically tailored to their respective host cell’s physiology. Our laboratory is principally interested in understanding how mitochondrial efficiency aligns with physiology across cells/organs, with a specific focus on how this process become disrupted in the context of cancer. To do this, we leverage a state-of-the art mitochondrial diagnostics workflow we developed which unites comprehensive, discovery-based bioenergetic phenotyping with large-scale analysis of the mitochondrial proteome using mass spectrometry. Learn more about our work by checking out our current projects and past publications. Click the link for up-to-date lab News!
Current Projects
Funded by the Department of Defense (DOD - W81XWH-19-1-0213)
Funded by the Department of Defense (DOD - W81XWH-22-1-0625)
Mitochondria and Tumorigenesis
Translational arm of the lab designed to test if mitochondrial signatures identified in clinical samples are casual in tumorigenesis.
Kelsey H. Fisher-Wellman, Ph.D.
Twitter: @KFW_Lab
Principle Investigator
Assistant Professor
B.S. – Kinesiology, University of Memphis
M.S. – Kinesiology, University of Memphis
PhD – Bioenergetics, East Carolina University
Interests: Understanding how the mitochondrial network is intrinsically remodeling to support the cancer phenotype.
Interested in the latest research related to 'Mitochondrial Bioenergetics and Cancer'? Check out our weekly curated reports on this subject, brought to you by BioMed News.
Contact Us
Thanks for your interest in our research. Get in touch with any questions or comments regarding our work and publications on Twitter - @KFW_Lab or using the form below. If interested in joining the team, please contact us directly via email (fisherwellmank17@ecu.edu) or using the form below.
East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute
115 Heart Drive
Greenville, NC 27834
252-744-2585
