Chandani Patel
Predoctoral Trainee
Department of Pharmacology & Regenerative Medicine
Advisor: Sandra Pinho, PhD Heading link
Title: Effect of Hibernation-Like State on the Hematopoietic and Immune System
Abstract: Mammals typically maintain their body temperature within 0.5°C of their mean core temperature, around 37°C. However, harsh environments or lack of food can trigger a torpor or hibernation-like state, during which the body temperature drops by 5-10°C to conserve energy and allow survival. A recent study (Takahashi et al., Nature 2020) developed a genetically engineered mouse model that can temporarily induce this hypometabolic state with a small molecule called clozapine N-oxide. This state can also be induced via regulation of mice body temperature and food intake. This process is now known to be beneficial for medical applications where slowing down metabolic processes limits tissue damage, for example after heart attack or stroke, as well as being of relevance to the future possibility of long-distance space exploration. However, it is unclear how this state affects the hematopoietic and immune system. In this T32 application, we aim to investigate the effects of inducing and recovering from a hibernation-like hypometabolic state on the immune response to inflammation and the hematopoietic stem cell niche.