Matthew Bramble, Ph.D.

Research

My research group plans to unravel the molecular biology of konzo, a neurological condition that causes paralysis in susceptible children in sub-Saharan Africa. Konzo is associated with malnourishment and a diet of improperly processed cassava, a root vegetable that contains toxic compounds that can be readily converted into cyanide after being ingested. My group found that children affected with konzo show drastic reductions of the key antioxidant machinery needed to detoxify the reactive oxygen species that are produced from dietary exposure to cyanide. Now, using a suite of advanced OMICS techniques in gene sequencing, RNA analysis, and metabolic profiling, we will characterize the role of oxidative damage in relation to konzo and identify the likely genetic variants or dietary deficiencies that contribute to a predisposition to the disorder. My lab also aims to finally generate a relevant rodent model of konzo to determine how diet-induced oxidative damage leads to irreversible paralysis—work that should lead to therapeutic or preventive strategies for affected individuals and for global communities that will increasingly face konzo, as reliance on drought-resistant crops like cassava expand.