Diabetes and obesity are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, whose incidence is increasing in the United States at an alarming rate. There is an urgent need to increase our understanding of fundamental mechanisms that lead to these disorders and their complications. The Metabolism Interest Group (MIG) at the University of Utah is an interdisciplinary group comprising 17 laboratories with a focus on studying how altered fuel and metal metabolism leads to chronic metabolic disorders such as diabetes and its cardiovascular complications. The investigative record of this group is outstanding with over 200 original peer reviewed publications in this area since 2002. A major goal of the MIG is to identify novel mechanisms by which mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to diabetes, obesity and their cardiovascular complications. We have established core activities such as a mitochondrial phenotyping core facility, a cardiovascular phenotyping core facility a whole animal metabolic phenotyping core facility and a metabolomics core facility. The Division of Endocrinology Metabolism and Diabetes is an integral member of the Metabolism Interest Group and is actively recruiting junior faculty whose research activity and interests will be consonant with the broad goals of the Metabolism Interest Group. Specifically, candidates will bring additional expertise in the area of mitochondrial bioenergetics analyses as they relate to the regulation of cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and dyslipidemia and obesity-associated cardiac dysfunction. There is strong institutional support from the Department of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry for recruiting junior faculty in this area. Office and research space to accommodate these recruits is currently available. The application will be targeted to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, whose goals most closely align with those of the Metabolism Interest Group. The prevalence of diabetes and obesity are increasing at an alarming rate, and are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. There is a pressing need for investigation into the pathogenesis and treatment of CVD in these disorders, and progress is most likely to be made in interdisciplinary research groups such as the Metabolism Interest Group of the University of Utah School of Medicine.
The prevalence of diabetes and obesity are increasing at an alarming rate, and are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. There is a pressing need for investigation into the pathogenesis and treatment of CVD in these disorders, and progress is most likely to be made in interdisciplinary research groups such as the Metabolism Interest Group of the University of Utah School of Medicine.
