The Effect of Minerals on Pathology
Michael Petris Lab
Research Interests
The Petris lab investigates how minerals are accumulated within the body at the right locations and in the right concentrations. Certain conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and microbial infection disrupt the cellular balance of minerals that may exacerbate the pathology or improve outcome. The Petris lab is focused on copper. This essential mineral is critical for many metabolic processes, including consumption of oxygen to generate of ATP, the energy source of the cell. However, it is potentially toxic if pathways that regulate its handling are dysfunctional. Using cells and animal models, the Petris lab is interested in how copper functions in Alzheimer’s disease, tumor growth, and microbial killing by the immune system.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Michael J. Petris
Principal Investigator, Bond LSC
Professor of Biochemistry
phone(573) 882-9685
email petrism@missouri.edu
The Petris lab investigates how minerals are accumulated within the body at the right locations and in the right concentrations. Certain conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and microbial infection disrupt the cellular balance of minerals that may exacerbate the pathology or improve outcome. The Petris lab is focused on copper. This essential mineral is critical for many metabolic processes, including consumption of oxygen to generate of ATP, the energy source of the cell. However, it is potentially toxic if pathways that regulate its handling are dysfunctional. Using cells and animal models, the Petris lab is interested in how copper functions in Alzheimer’s disease, tumor growth, and microbial killing by the immune system.
LAB MEMBERS
Vinit Shanbhag
Senior Research Scientist
In the news
May 15, 2020
#IAmScience Michael Petris
By Becca Wolf | Bond LSC Growing up more than 9,000 miles away in Melbourne, Australia, Michael Petris never thought he would work at MU, especially since he could not even locate the state of Missouri on a map. Now a professor of biochemistry, Petris was introduced to science early on in his life by his mother, who was a microbiologist and a high school science teacher, who made sure to immerse her children in the science field. He remembers growing up watching Australian wildlife documentaries and being interested in his science classes at school. After completing secondary…
Sep. 21, 2020
Four Cell Lines, One Great Discovery
Using cell lines to better understand copper homeostasis Nikita Gudekar working at her lab table. | photo by Becca Wolf, Bond LSC By Becca Wolf | Bond LSC When one thinks of copper, they often think of a shiny new penny. A striking engravement of Abraham Lincoln’s side profile with the words, ‘In God we trust’ engraved over his head. This, however, is not the case for Nikita Gudekar. Gudekar, a genetics area program Ph.D. candidate in the Petris lab, thinks of copper and gets inspired. Copper is an essential element in the body that has many roles…
Feb. 17, 2017
Art of balance
Jinghong Chen | Bond Life Sciences Center Vinit Shanbhag mixes the CRISPR plasmid DNA with cells. The lab will test whether the gene of interest has been knocked out of the cells later. | photo by Jinghong Chen, Bond LSC It might be strange to say, but in a way the Australian soil led scientist Michael Petris to where he is now. In certain areas of Australia, soils suffer from extremely low level of copper bioavailability, resulting in poor growth and neurological problems on sheep. Petris, a Bond LSC investigator and professor of biochemistry who was…