Research Highlights
Our research focuses on the development of gene and cell-based therapies for the treatment of metabolic diseases of the liver that commonly result in the development of intellectual disabilities in children. We have four active research directions:
- Development of gene-based (adeno-associated virus, mRNA) therapies to restore nitrogen metabolism, ureagenesis, and creatine biosynthesis.
- Exploring the underlying neurobiology in arginase deficiency and in guanidinoacetate methyltransferase deficiency to gain a greater understanding of the neuropathology that exists in these enzyme deficiencies.
- Developing new therapeutic approaches to treating deficiency of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1.
- Understanding the effect of guanidinoacetate on GABA-A receptors in guanidinoacetate methyltransferase deficiency.
Featured Publications
Nitzahn M, Lipshutz GS. CPS1: Looking at an ancient enzyme in a modern light. Mol Genet Metab. 2020 Nov;131(3):289-298. doi: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2020.10.003.
Nitzahn M, Allegri G, Khoja S, Truong B, Makris G, Häberle J, Lipshutz GS. Split AAV-Mediated Gene Therapy Restores Ureagenesis in a Murine Model of Carbamoyl Phosphate Synthetase 1 Deficiency. Mol Ther. 2020 Jul 8;28(7):1717-1730. doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.04.011.
Truong B, Allegri G, Liu XB, Burke KE, Zhu X, Cederbaum SD, Häberle J, Martini PGV, Lipshutz GS. Lipid nanoparticle-targeted mRNA therapy as a treatment for the inherited metabolic liver disorder arginase deficiency. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Oct 15;116(42):21150-21159. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1906182116.
Recent News
Nov 21, 2024
Congratulations to Isabel for her recent Poster Award at the 2024 Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology Retreat. Isabel’s poster... Read More
Nov 21, 2024
Congratulations to Aleks for passing his oral qualification exam for his PhD studies. Aleks is now a PhD candidate.... Read More
Nov 21, 2024
Congratulations to Alexa on her acceptance into the i2URP Program! The Integrated and Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Program is a scholarly... Read More