The overarching goal of Dr. Ren’s research program is to understand the molecular and genetic mechanisms of homeostatic regulations critical for feeding and glucose metabolism.
Obesity is a major contributor to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Finding novel and effective biochemical pathways to target organs and processes involved in the pathophysiology of these conditions has acquired new urgency.
Current research programs in the lab involve investigating how central nervous system (CNS) communicates with peripheral tissues in order to maintain the metabolic homeostasis, such as profiling of hypothalamic neuronal populations, functional mapping of neural circuitry, and characterizing the neuronal signaling properties of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)
Dr. Ren's group is interested in the pathophysiology and human genetic variants associated with metabolic and neurological diseases.
Research: Cellular and Molecular Metabolism
Expertise: Neurodegenerative Disorders Research
