Siniša Hrvatin, Ph.D.

Research

The Hrvatin lab will unravel the genetics behind how animals initiate, regulate, and survive hibernation. When challenged by harsh environmental conditions, many species have the capacity to enter energy-conserving states in which they lower their body temperature and metabolism. To understand how mammals accomplish this physiological feat—and how their cells withstand these extreme conditions—researchers need an animal model they can study in the lab. Hamsters can undergo hibernation when exposed to a winter-like cycle of shorter days and lower temperatures. Using innovative methods in cell and molecular genetics, genomics, and neurobiology, I will identify the brain regions and neurons that are active as hamsters enter and reawaken from hibernation. I will then selectively stimulate or inhibit the activity of these neurons to assess their role in inducing or terminating hibernation. By determining, for the first time, the neural circuits necessary for hibernation, I can address long-standing questions, such as how animals shut down mechanisms that regulate normal body temperature, how their cells adapt to colder temperatures, and whether similar neurons exist in nonhibernating species. My findings could lead to new strategies for modulating metabolism and preserving organs for transplantation.