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Lutas - Cheloha - 2026

Mentor: Andrew Lutas, PhD | andrew.lutas@nih.gov
Lab
Neuromodulation and motivation section and chemical biology in signaling section
Mentor: Ross Cheloha, PhD | ross.cheloha@nih.gov
Lab
Neuromodulation and motivation section and chemical biology in signaling section

Bioengineering targeted delivery of obesity drugs to understand and improve weight loss

Our labs focus on different aspects of understanding and controlling processes that dictate how cells, tissues, and organs integrate inputs from signaling molecules to dictate organism level responses. The Lutas group has expertise in understanding how receptor-driven molecular signals influence the learning of food-predicting cues and the motivation to seek food. The Cheloha group has developed chemical biology tools to deliver signaling molecules to cell types of interest, while avoiding delivery to undesirable targets. In this collaborative project, we are testing new approaches designed to deliver a molecule used for weight loss (GLP1R agonist) to specific areas of the brain, with the goal of understanding whether beneficial effects (weight loss) can be separated from undesirable side effects (nausea).

A BESIP summer intern would:

  • Help engineer new brain region specific-targeted reagents for delivering GLP1R agonists
  • Prepare brain slices for live cell imaging experiments and immunohistochemistry
  • Perform 2-photon imaging experiments to investigate cAMP signaling in response to neuromodulators.