Faculty - Sergey A. Krupenko, PhD

Sergey A. Krupenko, PhD

Professor of Nutrition

Sergey A. Krupenko, PhD, joined the UNC Nutrition Research Institute in 2014. Dr. Krupenko’s research focuses on vitamin folate and its role in liver function and cancer disease. His goal is to understand how we can fight cancer by controlling the diet and nutrient supplements. “There are molecular strings in the human organism, which can be pulled by right combinations of nutrients to activate resistance to tumor formation or to slow down cancer development. We have to identify these links and make them work,” he said. Dr. Krupenko has received his Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry from Byelorussian State University and PhD in Biochemistry at the Byelorussian Academy of Sciences. Before joining the NRI, he was a faculty member in the Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina. He has a joint appointment as a Professor of Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill.

Krupenko’s Team

Amira Abdellatef, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Associate, S. Krupenko Lab

Amira A. Abdellatef is currently working as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Sergey A. Krupenko Lab, Nutrition Research Institute (NRI), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Amira completed her Ph.D. in cancer biology and immunology from the Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Toyama, Japan in 2021, under the supervision of Prof. Yoshihiro Hayakawa. Before joining NRI, she completed her Research Scholar training at the University of Toyama, Japan, and a postdoctoral appointment at Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute (BBRI), North Carolina Central University (NCCU), under the mentorship of Prof. Xiaohe Yang. She is a recent recipient of the Award of Female Researchers of the University of Toyama, Japan. Her research project focuses on the function of folate enzymes ALDH1L1 and ALDH1L2 in cellular metabolism and their association with human diseases. Her project utilizes cell culture and mouse models to answer questions about the role of folate metabolizing enzymes and dietary folate in liver and brain functions, tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and metastasis. She has co-authored many peer-reviewed articles and had several poster/oral presentations at international and local conferences. Outside of the academia, she enjoys listening to music, watching movies, walking, swimming, and cooking.

Amira_abdellatef@unc.edu

Addam Flynn

Research Technician, S. Krupenko Lab

Addam, who received his Bachelors in Biology, Minor in Chemistry Degree at Catawba College in May 2022, joined the Nutrition Research Institute in June 2022 as a research technician. Addam is taking a gap year from academics to further his research experience in his field before pursuing his Ph.D. in cellular and molecular Biology specializing in cancer prevention and treatments. Outside of the lab, Addam is a devout Marvel fan who enjoys traveling, hiking, swimming, and listening to music

adafl@unc.edu

Halle Fogle

Graduate Student, S. Krupenko Lab

Halle earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and Minor in Anthropology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland in May 2020. After moving to Charlotte, Halle joined the NRI in August 2020 as a Research Technician in Dr. Sergey Krupenko’s Lab, where she studies the role of folate in liver function and cancer disease. Halle plans to further her education in the research field within the next couple of years.

halle_fogle@unc.edu

Bryan Munoz, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Associate, S. Krupenko Lab

Bryan Munoz joined the S. Krupenko lab in February 2022 as a postdoctoral research associate. Dr. Munoz attended EARTH University in Costa Rica majoring in Agricultural Sciences, then continued his graduate career at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and North Carolina State University, where he earned his doctoral degree in Nutrition and Horticultural Sciences. Dr. Munoz has worked with plants his entire life, and is interested in learning new techniques in molecular biology and animal models in his appointment in the S. Krupenko lab.

bryan.munoz@unc.edu

David Raines

Research Technician, S. Krupenko Lab

David Raines graduated from The College of Wooster in May 2014 with a bachelor’s in biology. He’s very excited to be working as a laboratory technician in Sergery Krupenko’s lab. David enjoys spending his free time outdoors herping for reptiles and amphibians; hiking, and backpacking.

daraines@unc.edu

Mikyoung You, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Associate, S. Krupenko Lab

Mikyoung You joined the Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) in Oct 2020 as a postdoc researcher in Dr. Sergey Krupenko's lab to identify the role of folate-metabolizing enzymes in liver disease. She received her Ph.D. in Nutrition from Mokpo National University in South Korea. She also received her postdoctoral training in the Department of Nutrition at the Massachusetts Amherst and University of Nebraska-Lincoln, working on the relationship of iron metabolism and beige adipocyte development.

mikyoung_you@unc.edu