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Information for: Nurit Argov-Argaman
Phone: 08-9489618
Email: argov@agri.huji.ac.il
Born in 1974, Israel
Ph.D.: June 2007 Hebrew University of Jerusalem Israel
Faculty: Robert H. Smith Faculty of
Agriculture, Food and Environment
Research Interests:
The milk lipid globule remains the least understood component of one of the world's most
valuable agricultural commodities, milk. Darwinian selective pressure drove the emergence
of a remarkable lipid delivery system in which the particles and their surface properties
are unique to any other biological lipid export system. Recent nutrition research is
identifying multiple factors associated with the milk lipid globule membrane and its
structures that provide distinct health properties.
I am studying lipid assemblies in biomaterials and the tight association between structure and function of lipid-protein assemblies.
My research focuses on size dependant lipid composition of milk lipid globules and the
implication of size on lipid globules structure- function. I am currently developing
protocols to separate milk lipid globules according to size, density, composition and the
affinity to biomaterials. In addition I am concentrating on the biochemical and physical
steps associated with lipid globule formation and secretion using in-vivo and
in-vitro cellular models to capture the regulatory mechanisms underlying milk lipid
globules size distribution.
Research Projects (in development):
- Developing methodology to separate milk lipid globules based on size, chemical affinity to biomaterials and biological functions.
- Elucidating the cellular regulatory mechanisms controlling fat to polar lipids ratio in milk.
- Nutritional administration as a mean to modulate milk lipid globules size distribution.
- Identifying the optimal source for commercial available bioactive lipid- rich milk.
Keywords:
Milk lipid globules; lipid macrostructure; lipoprotein; triglyceride; polar lipids; membrane.