HAYDEN LAB
The major overriding goal of my research career has been to understand how changes in specific genes result in specific diseases. This has required defining the genes involved and derived in greater understanding of the molecular and cellular events underlying these illnesses which have then provided insights to potential new modes of therapy.
Our Projects, Past and Present
Exploration of the pathogenesis of Huntington's Disease
The overall goal of this work is to delineate important steps in the pathogenesis of Huntington's Disease (HD) and to generate knowledge which will lead to novel approaches to treating this disease.
ABCA1—biology and relation to hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis
Our laboratory identified a gene, called ABCA1, which is absolutely critical for the production of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, also known as the “good cholesterol”, which protects against the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). This work will generate important new knowledge about HDL production, risk for CAD and ABCA1 function in specific cell types.
The role of ABCA1 on cellular cholesterol homeostasis and β-cell function
Our findings establish a novel role for the gene ABCA1 in β-cell cholesterol homeostasis and insulin secretion, and suggest that cholesterol accumulation may contribute to β-cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes, and point to β-cell ABCA1 as a novel therapeutic target for this disease.
Genetic contributions to adverse drug reactions
The debilitating and lethal consequences of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are one of the leading causes of death in Canada and the US. The goal of the Genotype-Specific Approaches to Therapy in Childhood (GATC) project is to prevent adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by identifying predictive genomic markers of adverse drug reactions, and incorporating these markers into a diagnostic tool that will be implemented to predict and prevent ADRs in children.
