Semenkovich Lab

The Semenkovich lab is interested in lipid metabolism and how it promotes the complications of diabetes, obesity, and insulin resistance. The work is translational, spanning cultured cells, animal models and humans. Lipid metabolism is important for many disease complications. Specific lipid molecules like palmitate are normally attached to a considerable number of proteins. We have engineered mice with a diminished capacity to remove the fatty acid palmitate from proteins in several tissues. These mice are models for important diabetes complications like peripheral artery disease and uncontrolled diabetes. We have also generated mice with overproduction of fatty acids in several tissues. These different models are being studied in parallel with humans that have diabetes, obesity, and their complications in an effort to develop new therapies that can decrease the suffering of people with metabolic diseases.