As of Friday last week, Dr. Brent Stockwell took the reins from Dr. Harmen Bussemaker as the Chair of our department. As Harmen writes, “I am very grateful to him for being willing to succeed me in this time-consuming but rewarding role, and I know he will do a great job.”
Also last week, Brent’s research was highlighted by Columbia News, on the occasion of his new Cell review article marking the 10-year discovery of ferroptosis, “a form of cell death that could help treat life-threatening diseases like cancer.”
As Columbia News reports, ten years ago Brent led a team of researchers who announced the discovery of a novel kind of cell death they named “ferroptosis.” “When cells undergo ferroptosis, their inner and outer membranes degrade, springing leaks that eventually cause the cell to die.” The new review article “assesses what researchers have discovered about ferroptosis in the last 10 years, and how their findings may help treat life-threatening illnesses like cancer and neurodegenerative disease.” Multiple studies in recent years have shown that inducing ferroptosis may “help stop rampant cancer cell growth.”
As Brent told Columbia News, “In the ten years since my lab identified its existence, ferroptosis has offered crucial new information on how cells function, and providing insights on how it can help treat disease… We’re confident that over the next decade, ferroptosis will teach us even more.”