Lucas BonDurant

Mentor: Matthew Potthoff, PhD

Year Entered Into Program: 2014

PhD Insitituion: University of Iowa, 2018

Affiliations

  • Molecular Medicine

Research Description

Studying the Pharmacological Effects of FGF21 in Metabolic Syndrome

FGF21 is liver-derived hormone that shows great promise in treating diabetes. While FGF21 increases insulin sensitivity, the mechanism by which it does this is still not clear. By using diverse genetic mouse models we seek to delineate the tissues and signaling pathway that FGF21 acts upon in order to increase glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity.

Awards

  • There Minute Thesis Preliminary Competition Award, 2017
  • Oral presentation award, Iowa Physiological Society meeting, University of Iowa, 2017
  • Travel Award for Selected Short Talk, 4th Annual Abboud Cardiovascular Research Center Symposium, 2017
  • Poster presentation award, Department of Pharmacology, University of Iowa, Spring 2016
  • 1st place best paper competition, University of Iowa, Spring 2016
  • Fellowship appointment on the Pharmacological Sciences Training Program (NIH T32 GM067795), University of Iowa, 2015-2017
  • Dean's Graduate Research Fellowship, University of Iowa, 2014-present
  • Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Scholarship, University of Iowa,  2014-present

Publications

  1. Bondurant L., Ameka, M., Naber, MC, Markan, KR, Idiga, SO, Acevedo MR, Walsh SA, Ornitz DM and Potthoff MJ.:  FGF21 Regulates Metabolism Through Adipose-Dependent and -Independent Mechanisms.  Cell Metab 2594):935-944, 2017.  PMCID: PMC5494834 [Available on 2018-04-04]
  2. BonDurant L*, von Holstein-Rathlou S*,Peltekian L, Naber MC, Yin TC, Claflin KE, Urizar AI, Madsen AN, Ratner C, Holst B, Karstoft K, Vandenbeuch A, Anderson CB, Cassell MD, Thompson AP, Solomon TP, Rahmouni K, Kinnamon SC, Pieper AA, Gillum MP, and Potthoff MJ.:  FGF21 Mediates Endocrine Control of Simple Sugar Intake and Sweet Taste Preference by the Liver. Cell Metab 23(2):335-43, 2016.  PMCID: PMC4756759

People