Sarah LUO

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Brain-Organ Interactions
PhD – Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, USA


SUMMARY
Sarah Luo is a Principal Investigator at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). 

Sarah  obtained her Ph.D. in 2015 in Neuroscience from the University of California – San Francisco (UCSF). While pursuing her doctoral studies with Prof. Eric J. Huang, she conducted research on the development of dopaminergic neurons and their impact on neuropsychiatric disorders. She returned to Singapore for her postdoctoral studies with Dr. Fu Yu at the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (SBIC) at A*STAR. There, she made the ground-breaking discovery of a novel neural circuit involved in appetite regulation, which was published in Science in 2018. 

Building upon this work, Sarah’s lab at IMCB explores the brain-body neural connections that regulate appetite and metabolism, using mouse models. She aims to understand how peripheral organs communicate nutrient availability, immune status and metabolic state to the brain and in turn, how the brain uses this information to regulate feeding and metabolic function.


AWARDS & GRANTS
  • 2021 National Research Foundation Fellowship (NRFF Class of 2021)
  • 2021 Singapore National Academy of Science – Young Scientist Award (YSA)
  • 2019 National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Young Individual Research Grant (YIRG)


RESEARCH

 Brain-body circuits regulating metabolism and appetite
Maintaining energy homeostasis requires accurate sensing of incoming nutritional substrates and internal metabolic demands, coupled with mechanisms to direct and utilise available resources. This is orchestrated by a complex interplay of communication between the brain and peripheral organs in the body such as the liver and gut. 

Our lab aims to define neural pathways underlying metabolic regulation between peripheral organs and the brain at the molecular, anatomical and functional level. The integrity and alterations of these circuits in mouse models of diet-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome will also be explored. This study will further our understanding of brain communication with peripheral organs and lead to novel strategies for managing metabolic diseases.


PUBLICATIONS