Dr Elena Pavlova

My research focuses on role of glycosphingolipids in immune regulation and autoimmunity. To investigate this, I employed an inducible mouse model of Gaucher disease which prone to lymphoid tumours and autoimmune disease. I used innovative pharmaceutical inhibitors of glycosphingolipid synthesis to demonstrate that inhibition of glucosylceramide synthesis reduced lymphoproliferation and prevent myeloma/lymphoma in mouse model of Gaucher disease. This work was the first to demonstrate that inhibitors of glycosphingolipid synthesis can prevent lymphoproliferation and blood cancers, the main causes of death in patients with Gaucher disease.
To investigate glycosphingolipid intracellular trafficking, I studied pathophysiological mechanisms caused by disruptions in highly conservative tethering complexes HOPS/CORVET and endosome – lysosome dynamics in a novel lysosomal disease – MPS plus.