Department of Medicine
Endocrinology Research
As endocrinologists and researchers, we face growing challenges in understanding the complexities and origins of disease, working toward its early identification, treatment and prevention.
Endocrinology Faculty Engaged in Biomedical Research
Dr. Coletta is an independent and highly productive scientist with a translational program studying the molecular basis, genetics and epigenetics of insulin resistance in humans, which is a characteristic feature of a number of common metabolic diseases, including Type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity and insulin resistance syndrome.
Dr. Funk leads an NIH-funded cross-disciplinary translational research program investigating the pathogenesis and treatment of resorptive bone diseases, such as breast cancer bone metastases and rheumatoid arthritis, with a particular focus on elucidating the metabolism and bioactivity of bone-protective plant-derived polyphenols.
Dr. Langlais’s research focuses on identification and characterization of proteins in insulin signal transduction and testing whether dysfunction of these proteins is involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. He specializes in mass spectrometry to perform proteomics, a technique that allows for large-scale quantitative analysis of protein abundances between different treatments. This approach led him to the discovery that CLIP-associating protein 2 (CLASP2) is responsive to insulin stimulation, and his findings support involvement of CLASP2 in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake.
Dr. Luo’s research focuses on insulin resistance in the liver, using glucose clamps, proteomics by mass spectrometry and gene knockouts in cell lines by CRISPR to characterize novel key proteins. The lab’s major research areas include the mechanisms of insulin resistance in liver, the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and the role of mitochondria in insulin resistance. Other research areas include the tumor cell invasion and metastasis in melanoma and colon cancer.
Dr. Mandarino’s research focuses on mechanisms of insulin resistance in skeletal muscle and liver disease as well as the mechanisms of fatty liver development. His lab’s work is aimed at providing new targets for treating insulin resistance syndrome (or metabolic syndrome), which increases the risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other cardiometabolic conditions, all areas of special concern in the Latino population.
Dr. Stern leads an NIH-funded research program focused on understanding the role of glucoregulatory hormone signaling in the pathogenesis of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and aging. The Stern Lab’s goal is to improve the prevention and treatment of diabetes and age-related metabolic disorders.
