Expertise

Our current work focuses upon studying these novel molecular and organ cross-talk pathways in cell cultures and animal models. At the same time we are undertaking clinical studies in cancer cachexia.

Research:

  • Muscle wasting, fat wasting, cachexia, cancer, inflammation, chronic disease, burn, trauma, ICU myopathy, muscle growth, rehabilitation, organ injury, liver regeneration, acute and chronic kidney injury, cardiac cachexia, basic research, translational research, clinical research, clinical trials, molecular profiling, omics, RNAseq, pathway analysis, cytokines, growth factors, IL-6, IL-11, LIF, GP180, STAT3, Activin, Myostatin, GDF-11, Activin receptor, Follistatin, satellite cells, regeneration, hedgehog, SHH, GLI1, GLI2, Smoothened, muscle, bone, fat, liver, metabolomics, lipidomics, clinical trials, Tocilizumab, patient-derived orthotopic xenografts, KPC GEMM, body composition from CT imaging, Sliceomatic, EchoMRI, Digigait, grip strength, treadmill.
  • Educational outcomes, research outcomes, publications, citations, fellowships, residency, faculty, barriers, professional societies, gender.

In this fashion we have:

  1. Identified a key role for IL-6/GP80/GP130/STAT3 in muscle and fat wasting in cancer and burns
  2. Identified a causal role for Activins in burn-induced muscle wasting and shown efficacy in targeting Activin, myostatin and GDF11 in burn cachexia
  3. Identified key roles of sonic hedgehog/GLI proteins and Smoothened in muscle wasting of cancer cachexia
  4. Developed or characterized dozens of new models of pancreatic cancer cachexia, including congenic orthotopic, patient-derived xenografts ("cachexia avatars"), and genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs)
  5. Collected thousands of biological specimens from 160 patients under study for pancreatic cancer cachexia to enable the largest profiling study in this disease to date
  6. Discovered novel targetable molecular pathways and organ cross-talk contributing to cachexia in cancer and burns

Subject areas:

  • Cancer in Bone and Muscle
  • Muscle/Bone Crosstalk
  • Trauma Regeneration and Rehabilitation

Research: Cellular and Molecular Metabolism

Affiliations

H.H. Gregg Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine

Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine

Co-Leader, Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, IU Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Centers and Institutes, Indiana University School of Medicine

Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Centers and Institutes, Indiana University School of Medicine

Co-Leader, Cachexia Working Group, IU Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Centers and Institutes, Indiana University School of Medicine

Co-Leader, Pancreatic Cancer Challenges and Solutions Working Group, IU Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Centers and Institutes, Indiana University School of Medicine

Co-Leader, Cancer Research Team, Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health, Centers and Institutes, Indiana University School of Medicine

Adjunct Professor, Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine

Investigator, Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Centers and Institutes, Indiana University School of Medicine

Past Affiliations

Professor, Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine

Member, Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Centers and Institutes, Indiana University School of Medicine

Professor, Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine

Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, School of Medicine (past)

Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Associate Professor, Department of Cancer Biology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson: Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University (past)

Research Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami (past)

Associate Professor, Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Jefferson: Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University (past)

Associate Professor, Genetics, Genomics & Cancer Biology PhD Program

General Surgery Section

Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, School of Medicine (past)

Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, School of Medicine (past)

Director, Center for Cachexia Research, Innovation and Therapy, IU Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Centers and Institutes, Indiana University School of Medicine

Communities
Oncology, Oncology, Oncology, Surgery, Human Anatomy, Cell Biology
Degrees
PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Molecular Biology and Genetics, 2001
BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Biology, 1991
Keywords
pancreatic cancer translational research basic research clinical research or studies cancer biology burns growth factors cytokines cachexia skeletal muscle myostatin activin atrophy liver regeneration organ growth regulation transcription regulation
Associations
Cancer Cachexia Society, President
Shock Society, Mentoring Committee
American Association for Cancer Research
Society for Cachexia and Wasting Diseases