Alliance for Diabetes and Obesity Research (ADORE)

Principal Investigators

• Simon Fisher, MD, PhD
• Philip A. Kern, MD
• Barbara Nikolajczyk, PhD

Research Priority Area

• Diabetes and Obesity

How to Join

Contact Allison Walters 

Meeting Times

The second Wednesday of each month, 3-4 p.m. EST

Summary

Kentucky's adult obesity rate has climbed dramatically over the last two decades. The state now has the fifth highest adult obesity rate in the nation – 36.6 percent, up from 21.7 percent in 2000 – and the third highest obesity rate for youth ages 10 to 17. Obesity is far more complicated than a simple accumulation of fat. The metabolic changes that occur with obesity result in an increase in cardiovascular risk factors, poor bone quality, and insulin resistance. This last complication is directly related to 13.8 percent of Kentucky’s adult population having diabetes.

With support from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Alliance Research Initiative, the Alliance for Diabetes Research (ADORE) will bring together a transdisciplinary team of investigators at the University of Kentucky to focus on obesity and diabetes, conditions that contribute substantially to the chronic disease burden of our state’s citizens.

The five principal investigators of ADORE are John Fowlkes, MD, professor, department of pediatrics and director of the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center; William B. Inabnet III, MD, chair, department of surgery; Philip Kern, MD, professor, department of internal medicine and director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science; Barbara Nikolajczyk, PhD, professor, department of pharmacology and nutritional sciences; and Charlotte Peterson, PhD, College of Health Sciences. Each has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on National Institutes of Health research grants and research contracts, and all have experience in building on scientific research to create new therapies and procedures for patient care.

Obesity is far more complicated than a simple accumulation of adipose tissue. The metabolic changes that occur with obesity result in insulin resistance, an increase in cardiovascular risk factors, inflammation in many tissues, poor bone quality, and lipotoxicity of muscle and the liver. Hepatic lipid accumulation leads to steatohepatitis, a type of fatty liver disease which is a leading cause of cirrhosis. Abnormalities in muscle lead to insulin resistance and poor physical function. Inflammatory changes in adipose, muscle, liver, and blood may be an important cause of many obesity-related conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Future research directions will include surgical interventions for weight reduction coupled with new findings that will lead to personalized and targeted therapies for the treatment of obesity-related comorbidities. ADORE is a response to recognized research gaps in knowledge and the need for more research in this focus area as it relates to health care disparities in Kentucky. The alliance will bring together a transdisciplinary team of senior and junior investigators at the University of Kentucky to leverage a broad spectrum of metabolic research talent to focus on obesity and diabetes as they contribute to the chronic disease burden of our citizens.

Alliance Members

• Oelisoa Andriankaja, PhD — College of Dentistry
• Suzanna Attia, MD — Department of Pediatrics
• Makenzie Barr, PhD — College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
• John A. Bauer, PhD — Department of Pediatrics
• Clay Bunn, PhD — Department of Pediatrics
• Weikang Cai, PhD - Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
• Ken Campbell, PhD – Department of Physiology
• Kaval Chhabra, PhD - Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Fanny Chapelin, PhD — College of Engineering
• Jody Clasey, PhD — College of Education
• Lindsay Czuba, PhD — College of Pharmacy
• Mark Evers, MD — Director of Markey Cancer Center, Department of Surgery
• Brian Finlin, PhD — Department of Internal Medicine
• Simon Fisher, MD, PhD — Department of Internal Medicine
• Kyle Flack, PhD — College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
• John Fowlkes, MD — Department of Pediatrics
• Christopher Fry, PhD — College of Health Sciences
• Jean Fry, PhD — College of Health Sciences
• George Fuchs, MD — Department of Pediatrics
• Gregory Graf, PhD — College of Pharmacy
• Zhenheng Guo, PhD — Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Erin Haynes, PhD — College of Public Health
• Nate Helsley, PhD — Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Terry Hinds, PhD — Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Barry Inabnet, MD — Department of Surgery
• Eva Kalaitzoglou, MD — Department of Pediatrics
• Wendy Katz, PhD — Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Philip A. Kern, MD —CCTS, Department of Internal Medicine
• Kate Kosmac, PhD — College of Health Sciences
• Mary Beth Lacy, PhD — College of Public Health
• James Lee, MD — Department of Radiology
• Analia Loria Kinsey, PhD — Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Frances Marti, PhD — Department of Surgery
• John McCarthy, PhD — Department of Physiology
• Ketrell McWhorter, PhD — College of Public Health
• Amy Meadows, MD — Department of Psychiatry
• Ila Mishra, PhD — Department of Internal Medicine
• Gia Mudd-Martin, PhD, MPH — College of Nursing
• Margaret Murphy, PhD — Department of Pediatrics
• Barbara Nikolajczyk, PhD — Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Sabire Ozcan, PhD — Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
• Ioannis Papazoglou, PhD – Department of Internal Medicine
• Kevin Pearson, PhD — Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Julie Pendergast, PhD — College of Arts and Sciences
• Aurelia Radulescu, MD — Department of Pediatrics
• Vivek M. Rangnekar, PhD — Department of Radiation Medicine
• Cetewayo Rashid, PhD — Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Stephanie Rose, MD — Department of Internal Medicine
• John Scott Roth, MD — Department of Surgery
• Robin Shoemaker, PhD — College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
• Preetha Shridas, PhD — Department of Internal Medicine
• Min-Woong Sohn, PhD — College of Public Health
• Samir Softic, MD — Department of Pediatrics
• Marlene Starr, PhD — Department of Surgery
• Jamie Sturgill, PhD — Department of Internal Medicine
• Hollie Swanson, PhD — Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Lisa Tannock, MD — Department of Internal Medicine
• Olivier Thibault, PhD — Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Kathryn Thrailkill, MD — Department of Pediatrics
• Qingjun Wang, PhD — Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
• Shuxia Wang, MD, PhD — Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
• Lovoria Williams, PhD — College of Nursing
• Douglas Zhang, PhD — College of Public Health