UMCUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical School · Biology
Rhodoquinone Metabolism Lab
Jessica Brooke Spinelli · Worcester, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Jessica Spinelli's lab focuses on understanding how a novel metabolite named rhodoquinone (RQ) affects mitochondrial function in the context of obesity. This research investigates how RQ can potentially enhance lipid accumulation and improve energy metabolism in fat cells, which could lead to new treatments for obesity-related diseases. The lab aims to uncover the mechanisms by which RQ influences biological processes and assess its therapeutic potential for metabolic dysfunctions associated with obesity.
rhodoquinonemitochondrial dysfunctionobesitylipid metabolismadipogenesismetabolic diseaseenergy metabolismtherapeutic strategynutrient homeostasis
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate the mechanism through which the rhodoquinone/fumarate pathway influences lipid accumulation during adipocyte differentiation.
AIM 02Assess the therapeutic potential of targeting the RQ/fumarate pathway to improve metabolic dysfunction in obesity.
AIM 03Measure the impacts of rhodoquinone on systemic lipid handling and energy metabolism in lean and obese animal models.
Skills the Lab Values
cell culturemass spectrometrymouse modelsglucose tolerance testinglipid profilinginsulin sensitivity assaysadipocyte differentiationpharmacological interventionshigh resolution imaging
Output against the department
Publications70bottom 19% of dept.832nd of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations5.4kbottom 40% of dept.620th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.