East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute seeks freshmen and sophomores to work in research lab

Dr. P. Darrell Neufer is looking for freshmen and sophomores to work in his lab with the East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute.

Dr. Neufer’s laboratory conducts research on multiple aspects of mitochondrial function and substrate utilization in the context of metabolic disease. Using primary and immortalized cell lines, blood cells, isolated skeletal muscle and liver mitochondria, and permeabilized skeletal myofibers from various mouse genetic models, rats, flies, and humans, we employ multiple approaches to investigate in real-time the mechanisms regulating mitochondrial bioenergetics. This includes respiratory kinetics and control, oxidative phosphorylation, H₂O₂ production/emission, force-flow inter-relationships (ΔG_redox, ΔG_ΔΨ, ΔG_ATP) and P/O indices, membrane potential, redox buffering/circuitry and calcium retention capacity (index of permeability transition susceptibility). We have also validated the use of near-infrared spectroscopy for determination of in vivo skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiratory capacity in humans. Our long term goal is to understand the mechanisms controlling mitochondrial function under normal and metabolically compromised states, and how altered mitochondrial function in turn contributes to the etiology and/or pathology of metabolic diseases. With 10 dual chamber high resolution Oroboros O2K respirometers, 4 Jobin Horiba fluorometers, 2 PTI multi-chamber fluorometers and two Seahorse flux analyzers (XF96s and XF24), we have established a mitochondrial phenotyping core facility in the East Carolina Diabetes & Obesity Institute (ECDOI).

The hours per week are flexible and will be as many hours as the student feels comfortable handling as a full-time student. The research conducted in the lab is pretty technical and sophisticated so it takes a long time for both the trainee and mentor to feel confident in the data that the trainee generates.

Expectations would be low the first year, particularly if the student is a freshman, and would focus on trying to get them up to speed on some techniques, building confidence, etc. The hope would be that they’d then stay and work through the summer.

Dr. Neufer’s preference (but not a requirement) would be a Biochemistry major, as that is most directly related to what the lab does. They are a mitochondrial bioenergetics lab currently funded by 2 NIH grants. The lab is a pretty small group now with one postdoc, one PhD student and one technician.

If you are interested, contact Dr. Neufer at neuferp@ecu.edu and let Dr. Fraley (fraleyt@ecu.edu) know that you are interested in the position.