EVCNA Expert Interview Series III – Dr. Janos Zempleni
On Aug 17, the Editorial Office of EVCNA had an exclusive interview with Dr. Janos Zempleni, the Willa Cather Professor of Molecular Nutrition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, to share his current achievements on milk exosomes and advice for current students in this field. Dr. Zempleni is a newly invited Editorial Board member of EVCNA. His research focuses on the regulation of genes by nutrients, bioactive food compounds, non-coding RNAs, and extracellular vesicles (EVs). The primary focus is on genes implicated in human metabolic health and disease. Cheerfully, his research on EVs in milk, nutrition, and drug delivery was recently recognized by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Based on this, the interview was arranged. Dr. Suman Dutta, one of the Junior Editorial Board members of EVCNA, served as a moderator to ask questions and discussed certain topics. He is an assistant project scientist at the University of California, focusing on EVs, apoptosis, neurodegeneration, biomarker, assay development, and inflammation. The field of dietary exosomes and RNAs, particularly those in milk, has witnessed rapid expansion and progress during the past four years. However, much uncharted territory remains to be explored.
Watch the following video for expert insights from Dr. Janos Zempleni:
Interview Questions:
Q1: Could you please share your journey and how your interest in milk exosomes developed?
Q2: We know that your research on extracellular vesicles in milk, nutrition, and drug delivery has been recently recognized by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Could you please share your current achievements and progress?
Q3: As we all know, milk exosomes are generally used as drug carriers and markers of disease. Milk exosomes could also be explored to load and deliver potentially other macromolecules such as siRNA, miRNAs, plasmid DNA, cDNA, and proteins (antioxidant enzymes, etc.). What do you think are the key points of future research on milk exosomes?
Q4: You began the exosome research around 2013. Could you please share your vision and what makes you adhere to this field?
Q5: What advice do you have for students who may be interested in pursuing a similar career path?
About Dr. Janos Zempleni:
Dr. Janos Zempleni, Willa Cather Professor of Molecular Nutrition, Director of the Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases through Dietary Molecules.
Janos Zempleni earned a Ph.D. in nutrition sciences from the Justus-Liebig University in Germany and received postdoctoral training in pediatric nutrition (University of Innsbruck Medical Center, Dr. Burkhard Mangold), nutritional biochemistry (Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Donald B. McCormick) and molecular and cell biology of biotin (Arkansas Children's Research Institute and Medical Center, Dr. Donald M. Mock). Dr. Zempleni joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2001 where he rose through the ranks and now is a Willa Cather Professor of Molecular Nutrition and founding director of the NIH-funded Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases through Dietary Molecules. Janos Zempleni is co-founder and co-owner of Minovacca, LLC which develops milk exosomes optimized for delivering therapeutic payload to pathological cells.
Editor: Yan Lei
Production Editor: Ting Xu
Respectfully Submitted by the Editorial Office of Extracellular Vesicles and Circulating Nucleic Acids
