Kristian Want

Postdoctoral Researcher, Brandeis University

Current Research

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher working across the Meisel and Pandelia labs at Brandeis University, studying the biochemistry and underlying genetics of mitochondrial diseases.

My research focuses on characterizing the late-acting pathways that assemble, deliver, and regulate Fe-S clusters, alongside exploring related clinical diseases in model organisms and recombinant systems. To explore this field, I combine in vitro biochemical reconstitution with in vivo C. elegans genetics.

Ph.D. Research

My doctoral research was conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Benoit D’Autreaux at the Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), with my doctorate in Biochemistry and Structural Biology awarded by the University Paris-Saclay.

This work focused on characterising the interactions and activity of FXN and FDX2 during the assembly of [2Fe-2S] clusters using a combination of biochemical and biophysical techniques. A key discovery was that FDX2 has an unexpected auto-inhibitory role during [2Fe-2S] synthesis - and that decreasing its concentration significantly extends lifespan in a Friedreich’s Ataxia (FRDA) model of D. melanogaster, in collaboration with the lab of Veronique Monnier at Universite Paris Cite.

Earlier in the Ph.D., the project was focused on the design of novel therapeutics - including small molecules and short peptides - to treat FRDA.

Lab Affiliations

Future Directions

My ongoing postdoctoral work continues to investigate the regulatory mechanisms governing Fe-S cluster biogenesis, with a particular interest in how disruptions to these pathways manifest as mitochondrial disease. By bridging in vitro biochemistry with in vivo genetic models, I aim to identify novel therapeutic targets for diseases such as Friedreich’s Ataxia and other Fe-S cluster-related disorders.