Sergey A. Krupenko, PhD
Professor of Nutrition
sergey_krupenko@unc.edu
704-250-5053
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hansuk Ryu, MD, PhD
Visiting Scholar, S. Krupenko Lab
Hansuk Ryu joined the S. Krupenko lab in September 2023 as a visiting scholar. Dr Hansuk earned a Bachelor of Medicine at Hanyang University in South Korea. He received his doctoral degree from Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea. He is a pathologist and plans to work with cancer and metabolism in Dr. Sergey Krupenko’s Lab
Breast Cancer Subtype Important in Deciding Impact of Folate
February 1, 2017 • It is generally known that folate (vitamin B9) is important in early pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects in babies, because folate is needed by rapidly dividing cells (e.g., those of a developing embryo) for DNA synthesis and cellular energy production. As a consequence, many processed foods in the United States are fortified with […]
The Folic Acid Dilemma
April 1, 2015 • In 1996, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made it mandatory to add folic acid (FA) to grain products used to make cereal, bread, pasta and other foods. The ruling, which was intended to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) – see Sidebar – has been very successful: The incidence of NTDs fell 36% over the following decade.
The FDA’s ruling was unique because the target population (women of child-bearing age) is much smaller than the population affected (anyone eating fortified foods), especially now that so many countries around the world add FA to wheat, corn, and rice. Luckily, studies around the globe prove that FA benefits the general population by lowering the incidence of heart disease, stroke, and even mood disorders…which is why FA is also present in multivitamin supplements.
Diet and Extension of Lifespan
Life expectancy keeps growing in developed countries, approaching 90 years on average in some. There is a forecast that more than 50 percent of girls born in the U.S. after 2010 will live to become 100 years or even older, and that the first person to live up to 150 years has already been born.
Sergey A. Krupenko, Ph.D.
Sergey A. Krupenko, Ph.D., joined the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) 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...
2023
2022
2021
2019
The Role of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Function of Candidate Tumor Suppressor ALDH1L1.
Cytosolic 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase regulates glycine metabolism in mouse liver.
Deleterious mutations in ALDH1L2 suggest a novel cause for neuro-ichthyotic syndrome.
Loss of ALDH1L1 folate enzyme confers a selective metabolic advantage for tumor progression.