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Lipid Metabolism and Neurodegenerative Disease (LMND) Program

A Message From the Director

The Lipid Metabolism and Neurodegenerative Disease (LMND) Program is a unique collaborative initiative between the Department of Cell Biology and O’Donnell Brain Institute (OBI). Created in 2025, its purpose is to connect basic and clinical scientists to each other, and to technologies that enable the study of metabolism and neurological diseases. Focuses of the LMND include stimulating collaborative opportunities across UTSW campus, as well as hosting renowned speakers and events that create forums and opportunities where scientists and trainees can learn, share ideas, and build collaborative partnerships.

W. Mike Henne, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Martha Lee Foster Professor in Brain Science & Medicine
Director, LMND Program

Core Showcase: Biophysical Structural Cores

Speakers:

  • Dr. Chad Brautigam, Professor, Director of the Macromolecular Biophysics Resource
  • Dr. Andrew Lemoff, Associate Professor, Director of the Proteomics Core
  • Dr. Dan Stoddard, Assistant Professor, Director of the Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility

Core Showcase: Translational and Clinical Imaging

Speakers:

  • Dr. Elena Vinogradov, Associate Professor, Director of 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Core
  • Dr. Debabrata Saha, Associate Professor, Director of Preclinical Imaging/Image-Guided Radiation Core Facility (PCIRCF)
  • Dr. Xiankai Sun, Associate Professor, Director of Small Animal Imaging Core

LMND Distinguished Lecture Series

The LMND Distinguished Lecture Series features leading edge scientists, publishing editors, and other members of the scientific community, and provide opportunities to learn about the latest discoveries in neurobiology, lipid metabolism, organelle biology, and neurodegenerative fields.

Past LMND Events

April 17, 2026 – Antonia De Maio, Ph.D.

Dr. De Maio is a Senior Scientific Editor at Cell Reports and Consulting Editor at Cell Metabolism. The LMND hosted Dr. De Maio to meet with trainees and PIs interested in publishing with Cell Press. She discussed her experiences in the publishing career, presented a seminar regarding publishing strategies, and answered questions about Cell Press.

May 13, 2026 – Roberto Zoncu, Ph.D.

A leader in the cell biology and metabolism communities, Dr. Zoncu is currently a Professor at UC Berkeley whose lab studies the cell and organelle biology of lysosome dysfunction in the context of many neurological diseases. In his distinguished lecture, Dr. Zoncu spoke about his recent work and about current challenges and breakthroughs in the lipid metabolism and neurodegenerative fields.

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