Diabetes

Obesity

Atherosclerosis

The goals of our research are to understand the development of proatherogenic metabolic abnormalities in insulin resistant individuals, and to identify new therapeutic targets for improving these abnormalities. Two current areas of focus are dysregulation of (i) lipoprotein and (ii) bile acid metabolism. Lipoproteins carry out atherogenic and atheroprotective actions, and may link insulin resistance with cardiovascular disease. Bile acids are involved in maintaining cholesterol, glucose, and triglyceride homeostasis, and are dysregulated during insulin resistance and diabetes. Through these two research areas, we aim to determine mechanisms of metabolic abnormalities and atherogenesis in the natural history of type 2 diabetes, and to identify potential therapeutic targets.