Adam Hughes

Adam Hughes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah. His research focuses on organelle communication, quality control, nutrient sensing, and their roles in aging and metabolic stress. He contributes to both the Molecular Biology Program and Biological Chemistry Program.

• Education: B.S. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University

His lab investigates how mitochondrial-lysosomal interactions drive disease, using yeast and mammalian models to study metabolic disorders, neurodegeneration, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Recent work highlights the discovery of Mitochondrial-Derived Compartments (MDCs) as a conserved stress adaptation mechanism.

Selected article trends reveal expertise in phospholipid regulation, amino acid toxicity, and organelle crosstalk. He maintains a lab page and collaborates extensively on aging, metabolic stress, and mitochondrial quality control.

His work addresses cellular mechanisms of metabolic disorders and rare genetic diseases, with implications for diabetes, neurodegeneration, and mitochondrial disease.