Yale University · BiologyThe Autophagy Nexus
Thomas James Melia · New Haven, Connecticut
Research Focus
Dr. Thomas James Melia's lab at Yale University focuses on understanding how cells deal with stress by creating autophagosomes, which are essential organelles that encapsulate and eliminate toxic components within the cell. His lab investigates the mechanisms by which cells harvest lipids necessary for autophagosome formation, especially under conditions of stress like disease or starvation. By elucidating these processes, the lab aims to provide insights into cell biology that could impact our understanding of various diseases such as infections, neurodegeneration, and cancer.
autophagyautophagosomelipid transportcellular stressmembrane biologyneurodegenerationviral infection
Research Aims
4AIM 01Explore how lipids are harvested from cellular membranes for autophagosome formation.
AIM 02Investigate the process of lipid flux out of donor membranes during autophagosome biogenesis.
AIM 03Understand the relationship between lipid transport and the physical shape of autophagosomes.
AIM 04Determine how changes in membrane properties affect autophagosome construction during stress conditions.
Skills the Lab Values
cell culturemicroscopylipid analysisprotein purificationWestern blotmolecular cloningelectron microscopyorganism model studies
Output against the department
Publications97bottom 34% of dept.684th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations7.2ktop 50% of dept.516th 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.