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Mohamad Mokadem, MD

Contact Information

Office: 4570 JCP
Phone: 319-384-6178
Faculty Profile

Brief desctiption of current research:

My Laboratory’s overall interest is to understand the crosstalk of energy signaling along the gut-brain axis.  We use rodents’ models of bariatric surgery [such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG)]  to examine body weight and metabolic regulation in these animals. We have applied these models- along with other neurophysiologic techniques- to multiple genetic mice in order to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of these bariatric operations.

3 most influential diabetes/obesity/metabolism publications:

  • Mokadem M, Zechner JF, Uchida A, Aguirre V. Leptin is required for beneficial effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass on glucose homeostasis in mice. PLoS One. 2015 Oct 7;10(10):e0139960. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139960.
  • Mokadem M, Zechner JF, Margolskee RF, Drucker DJ, Aguirre V. Effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass on energy and glucose homeostasis are preserved in two mouse models of functional glucagon-like peptide-1 deficiency. Mol Metab. 2013 Dec 11;3(2):191-201. doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2013.11.010. eCollection 2014.
  • Li H, Chan L, Bartuzi P, Melton SD, Weber A, Ben-Shlomo S, Varol C, Raetz M, Mao X, Starokadomskyy P, van Sommeren S, Mokadem M, Schneider H, Weisberg R, Westra HJ, Esko T, Metspalu A, Kumar V, Faubion WA, Yarovinsky F, Hofker M, Wijmenga C, Kracht M, Franke L, Aguirre V, Weersma RK, Gluck N, van de Sluis B, Burstein E. Copper metabolism domain-containing 1 represses genes that promote inflammation and protects mice from colitis and colitis-associated cancer. Gastroenterology. 2014 Jul;147(1):184-195.e3. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2014.04.007. Epub 2014 Apr 13.

Quote:

We believe that understanding the mechanism behind the beneficial effects of bariatric procedures (the most effective available treatment for obesity and diabetes) is of paramount importance given the implications for developing less invasive alternatives to surgical therapy for weight loss, diabetes.

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