Contact Information

Office: 2-452 BSB
Phone: 319-384-4439
Faculty Profile

Brief description of current research:

Mitochondria-targeted, neuroprotective therapies of diabetic neuropathies

My laboratory is broadly interested in protein kinase and phosphatase-mediated cell signaling as it relates to function and dysfunction of the nervous system. To this end, we employ multilevel analyses ranging from single molecule studies to integrative physiology in rodent models of neurological disorders. Our interests in obesity and diabetes are relatively recent and focus on developing mitochondria-targeted therapies for diabetic neuropathies. Our efforts in this area have so far identified a neuron-specific mediator of mitochondrial fission, whose knock-out confers striking neuroprotection in type-1 and type-2 diabetes models. Collaborating with industry, we are currently screening for small-molecule inhibitors of this protein to treat this common and debilitating comorbidity of diabetes.

3 most influential diabetes/obesity/metabolism publications:

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Quote:

“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” –Albert Einstein