Saghatelian’s lab dives into the discovery and characterization of novel molecules associated with human disease, such as diabetes, cancer and autoimmune disease. What makes his lab unique in this endeavor is the focus on the biology of metabolites and peptides—two classes of molecules that are extremely important in biology but understudied because of technical challenges. Exploring this uncharted territory has enabled the Saghatelian lab to discover novel lipids that reduce inflammation and improve the symptoms of diabetes and identify a previously unknown cluster of human genes that produce peptides and small proteins that control fundamental cellular processes, such as DNA repair, highlighting their potential importance in cancer.

Victor received his B.A. in Biochemistry and Mathematics from New York University, and his Ph.D from Albert Einstein College of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Victor Schuster, where he studied the regulation of non-canonical thermogenesis by prostaglandin signaling. He joined the the Saghatelian lab in mid-2020. Currently, he is trying to identify novel microproteins that affects adipogenesis. Outside of lab, he enjoys playing boardgames and exploring new cooking recipes.

Andréa received her B.S. in Nutrition from Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil. MSc in Biotechnology from the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, and her Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of Campinas, Brazil, where she worked on miRNA processing in adipocytes controlling immune function. She joined the Saghatelian lab as a postdoc in January 2021 and mainly focused on discovering and characterizing smORF encoded polypeptides (SEPs) that regulate the innate inflammatory response.

Joan has extensive experience in the isolation of novel peptides and proteins from mammalian tissues and fluids. She was an integral member of the Salk team lead by Wylie Vale that isolated and characterized a number of brain peptide hormones regulating growth, appetite, stress, parturition, reproduction, metabolism and immune responses. Joan also characterized inhibin and activin family proteins and their soluble binding partners. She has considerable experience in the design of peptide analogues for antigens and for labeling with isotopes or chromophores; the production and purification of polyclonal antisera against peptides/proteins; and the use of antisera to develop immunoassays for the measurement of regulatory peptides and small proteins.