Metabolic Signaling and Disease

How cells absorb blood glucose

How cells absorb blood glucose

Dr. Zhen Jiang's laboratory has identify a new protein that's involved glucose uptake, an important step in the development of diabetes.

Mitochondria...start your engines please

Mitochondria...start your engines please

Dr. Sheila Collins' laboratory identified a molecule in brown body fat called the uncoupling protein which “leaks” energy. Learning how to activate brown fat may provide a new therapeutic target for treating obesity.

Taste receptors...in the gut?

Taste receptors...in the gut?

Dr. Tim Osborne's laboratory is investigating bitter taste-sensing receptors in the gut that act as a second line of defense to keep toxins from being absorbed by the digestive system.

Studying metabolic signaling and disease

Researchers in the Metabolic Signaling and Disease Program study how organs and cells work together to respond to biological and environmental challenges that lead to the development of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The program brings together investigators with complementary expertise in cell and molecular biology, chemistry, and physiology to understand mechanisms that regulate metabolic flow, energy expenditure, and appetite control. Since metabolic changes are also fundamental to many other pathological conditions, ranging from Alzheimer's disease to cancer, the basic principles of our research will also provide insight and therapeutic avenues for combating other human diseases.

Research - Diabetes and Obesity - Metabolic Signaling: About

The program focuses on the integration of the extrinsic and intrinsic cell signaling networks with gene regulatory mechanisms involved in energy generation and storage pathways. Multi-disciplinary teams use an integrated multi-organ and multi-system approach to study the biologic and physiologic mechanisms of metabolic disease. This approach is essential to understanding how different organ systems communicate together to provide metabolic balance for the entire body.

How our research helps improve health

When the metabolic system is out of balance due to genetic, environmental, or dietary factors, diseases such as obesity and diabetes develop. An estimated 60 percent of the U.S. adult population is overweight or obese. By understanding the molecular regulatory mechanisms that maintain metabolic homeostasis, our scientists can identify new drug targets that will be exploited for novel therapies to reverse the extreme rise in the incidence of type 2 diabetes that has occurred over the past several decades.

Research - Diabetes and Obesity - Metabolic Signaling: How Our Research Helps

Recent Developments

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Sanford-Burnham experts talk about why Americans are fa...

In a four-part series published in the Orlando Sentinel, scientists in Sanford-Burnham’s Diabetes and Obesity Research Center share their expertise on the causes of weight gain and the metabolic challenges that make it so difficult to keep off the extra pounds.  Read More...

Recent Publications

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Research - Diabetes and Obesity - MetabolicSignaling: Recent Publications
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