معرفی
Marcia C. Haigis, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School, where she leads the Haigis Lab and is a member of both the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging and the Ludwig Center at Harvard Medical School. Her research program integrates biochemistry, proteomics, cell biology and mouse genetics to investigate the role of mitochondria in mammalian aging and disease, with particular focus on mitochondrial sirtuins and their regulatory functions.
Dr. Haigis's laboratory investigates how mitochondria influence aging processes and disease development, with special emphasis on mitochondrial sirtuins (SIRT3, SIRT4, and SIRT5) that regulate metabolic pathways. Her work explores how these enzymes affect mitochondrial biogenesis, energy production, and signaling pathways that decline during aging. Current research directions include understanding how sirtuins mediate the interplay between mitochondrial activity and aging, identifying signals generated by mitochondria that contribute to aging, and determining molecular mechanisms for these signals.
The lab's publication record demonstrates a clear evolution from fundamental mitochondrial sirtuin biology toward translational applications in cancer and immunometabolism. Recent work increasingly focuses on how metabolic pathways influence immune cell function in the tumor microenvironment, particularly how obesity shapes metabolism in the tumor microenvironment to suppress anti-tumor immunity and how metabolites like formate can enhance T cell function. This represents a strategic expansion from basic mitochondrial biology to therapeutic interventions targeting metabolic pathways in disease.
Dr. Haigis has received significant recognition including the Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar Award, the Brookdale Foundation Leadership in Aging Award, and selection for the National Academy of Medicine's Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Program.
Her laboratory actively trains the next generation of scientists, with multiple successful thesis defenses documented including Dr. Samantha Wong (March 2022) and Dr. Sarah Tucker (May 2022). The lab maintains active collaborations across Harvard Medical School and affiliated hospitals, particularly in cancer metabolism and immunometabolism research. Current projects investigate metabolic vulnerabilities in cancer cells, mitochondrial regulation of immune responses, and connections between aging, metabolism, and disease progression.
