RESEARCH

Dysregulation of systemic iron homeostasis affects over a billion people worldwide. In patients with hereditary hemochromatosis and b-thalassemia the excess tissue iron is the major cause of many serious complications and can even prove fatal. Although, these are distinct diseases they demonstrate intestinal hyperabsorption of iron. (Read more)

Inflammatory foci are hypoxic, and this focal hypoxia can drive the inflammatory cascade. The significance of this bidirectional crosstalk and the mechanistic role of hypoxia in inflammation is a major goal in our laboratory. Through studying the role of HIF in mouse models of inflammation our studies demonstrates that HIF signaling is a critical in regulating the epithelial inflammatory response. (Read more)

The liver and intestine undergo dynamic changes in oxygen levels following feeding and fasting response in mice. We have shown that these dynamic changes regulate systemic cholesterol and glucose levels, and if dysreguatled lead to fatty liver and metabolic diseases. Current goals are to assess the molecular mechanisms by which oxygen levels regulate fatty acid, cholesterol, and glucose. (Read more)