Zsofia Szentpetery, PhD
- Technical Laboratory Assistant
Background
She received her PhD in classical and molecular genetics from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, on the topic of ABC transporters and cancer multidrug resistance. Her research took her to the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Andras Varadi and Balazs Sarkadi. As a postdoctoral fellow, her research initially focused on phosphoinositide signaling and intracellular transport in the laboratory of Dr. Tamas Balla at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA (2006-2009), then on dermatological cancers at the Blizard Institute of Queen Mary University of London in the laboratory of Prof. Edel O'Toole (2011-2014). Since December 2021, she has been supporting the laboratory, conducting experiments and being responsible for the laboratory infrastructure.
Research focus
Sialic acid and neurodevelopment: a molecular and cellular approach
Breast milk contains a unique composition of bioactive components and is generally considered the gold standard for infant nutrition. Ongoing research in the field of pediatric nutrition aims to identify components of breast milk that provide physiological benefits to the newborn and can be added to milk substitutes (formula milk). Among the nutritional components whose concentrations currently differ between breast milk and milk substitutes are oligosaccharides. In our research, we are investigating the effect of sialic acid on neurodevelopment, in particular on myelin and synapse formation and neural transmission. Our goal is also to identify the clinically relevant dose at which milk containing sialic acid could support neurological development.
Influence of early-life nutrition on neuronal plasticity in newborns
The human brain grows rapidly and continues to differentiate from the end of pregnancy and throughout the first three years of life. In doing so, it develops from a relatively undifferentiated and pluripotent organ into a highly specified and organized one. The outcome of this developmental maturation depends heavily on a range of environmental inputs, including nutrition, which strongly influences the ultimate plasticity of the adult brain. A growing body of research shows that various nutrients shape the brain and also strongly influence brain function later in life. In our research, we investigate the role that various nutrients in breast milk play during brain development. We focus on the myelination process and the later behavioral and cognitive effects of this process.