Award Overview

The Second Life Metabolism Travel Awards 2024, sponsored by Sable Systems-Promethion (China), has recognized three outstanding researchers with prizes of $700 each. The selection process involved anonymized submissions reviewed by six independent judges who allocated votes to determine the winners.

Award Winners

Three researchers each received four votes from the judging panel:

Sebastian Kreimendahl

Institution: University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Pernas Lab

Research Focus: Function of mitochondria in defending against invading microbes

Kreimendahl's research explores how infected cells weaponize mitochondria against invading pathogens. Using the human parasite Toxoplasma gondii as a model, his CRISPR/Cas9 screening revealed that host mitochondria compete with the parasite for fatty acids, restricting its growth. His findings illuminate how mitochondria regulate microbial growth and how pathogens exploit mitochondrial function.

Dipsikha Biswas

Institution: University of Copenhagen, Novo-Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Sakamoto Lab

Research Focus: Nutrient signaling and metabolism in muscle tissue

Biswas investigates the physiological regulation of muscle glycogen phosphorylase (PYGM) and glycogen breakdown during exercise. By generating AMP-insensitive (V46T) and phospho-deficient (S15A) PYGM knock-in mice, she demonstrated that phospho-regulation of PYGM is essential for muscle glycogen breakdown during physical exercise, while AMP regulation is dispensable. This research provides insights into metabolic myopathies like McArdle's disease.

Xinyue Qi

Institution: Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Hui Lab

Research Focus: Cholesterol metabolism, specifically 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC) function

Qi's research reveals that 27HC, the most abundant oxysterol capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, acts as an endogenous selective estrogen receptor modulator. Her findings demonstrate that 27HC inhibits food intake by stimulating POMC neuronal activity through estrogen receptor α in the hypothalamus. This 27HC/ERα/POMC signaling pathway may serve as a critical defense mechanism against high-fat diet-induced obesity.

Future Awards

Sable Systems-Promethion (China) has confirmed continued sponsorship for the 2025 competition. Researchers are encouraged to watch for upcoming announcements regarding the 2025 awards.