Hosted by: Dr. John Shanklin

During the past thirty years, the perceived role of lipids has shifted from simple structural components of cell membranes to bioactive molecules that regulate critical cellular and pathological processes. The enzymes that generate and breakdown these bioactive lipids have emerged as novel therapeutic targets for treating the leading causes of diseases in the United States, including cancer. This talk will present new insight into how two key enzymes in sphingolipid metabolism work at the molecular and structural level. These include the colon cancer therapeutic target human Neutral Ceramidase, and the membrane-associated enzyme neutral sphingomyelinase 2, which has established roles in neurodegeneration, metastasis, and intracellular communication.