Luca Bhatt

Luca Bhatt has advanced understanding of how mitochondrial dynamics -- the balance between fission and fusion -- regulates cancer cell behavior, demonstrating that cancer cells frequently shift toward mitochondrial fission mediated by DRP1 to support cell proliferation, migration, and metabolic adaptation. His research showed that DRP1-driven mitochondrial fragmentation promotes cancer cell invasion and metastasis by facilitating mitochondrial redistribution to the leading edge of migrating cells. He established that mitofusin 2 (MFN2) acts as a tumor suppressor through promotion of mitochondrial fusion and metabolic oxidation. His work on pharmacological modulation of mitochondrial dynamics has identified new approaches to disrupt cancer cell metabolic plasticity.