CTSI Congratulates Winners of the Poster and Research Talk Competitions at the Mitochondrial Symposium

CTSI partnered with the DGSOM Metabolism Theme and others to sponsor a one-day symposium at UCLA devoted to mitochondrial research, including such areas as bioenergetics, dynamics and genetics. 

Highlights of the Nov. 2 symposium included presentations from top professional researchers in the mitochondrial field, a research talk competition for postdocs and students, and poster session competition. CTSI sponsored both competitions; below are the awardees.

Poster awards: 

• First Prize
  Huang Yang, graduate student, Department of Neurology/Molecular, Cell and Integrative Physiology, UCLA 
  "Clueless/cluH Acts in Parallel to the PINK1/parkin Pathway in Regulating Mitochondrial Fission-Fusion and Compensates for Loss of PINK1/parkin"
• Second Prize
  Christina Termini, postdoctoral student, Hematology/Oncology, UCLA
  "Visualization of the Inner Mitochondria Membrane During Mitochondrial Division Using 4D Structured Illumination Microscopy"
• Third Prize
  Jennifer Ngo, graduate student, Chemistry & Biochemistry, UCLA
  "Dysregulation of Fatty Acid Utilization in Hepatocytes in Obese and Diabetic Models"

Talks awards: 

• First Prize
  Ting Zhang, graduate student, Molecular Cellular Integrative Physiology/Neurology, UCLA
  "Pathological VCP Disease Mutants Generate Mitochondrial Defects and are Relieved by VCP Inhibitors"
• Second Prize
  Agape Awad, graduate student, Chemistry & Biochemistry, UCLA
  "Nutrient Sensing and Mitochondrial Coenzyme Q Biosynthesis: Are They Connected by a Phosphatase?"
• Third Prize
  Lucie Bergdoll, postdoctoral student, Physiology, UCLA
  "Protonation State of Glutamate 73 Regulates the Formation of a Unique Dimericassociation of mVDAC1"