My research program lies at the intersection between metabolism, reproductive biology and geroscience. We know certain diseases appear and develop differently in males and females, so we study what could be causing this difference.

In my lab, we are interested in unraveling what role sex hormones and their receptors play in chronic diseases. We are also particularly interested in understanding sexually dimorphic mechanisms of chronic disease. An example of this is the fact that middle-aged males more commonly develop metabolic disturbances (e.g. glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, diabetes) and chronic liver diseases (e.g. NAFLD, NASH) as compared to age-matched females. Interestingly, these differences in disease prevalence normalize as females undergo menopause. This observation implies that functional ovaries produce endocrine factors (estrogens, miRNA) that elicit systemic beneficial effects. However, several poorly understood and underexplored areas of study remain barriers to progress:

• Does delaying female reproductive senescence attenuate systemic hallmarks of aging?
• What are the cell-type-specific mechanisms that promote ovarian aging/insufficiency/failure?
• Can ovarian aging be targeted by pharmacological interventions?
• Can the beneficial effects of estrogens and/or estrogen receptor activity be harnessed to treat male-dominant chronic diseases in the absence of deleterious off-target effects?
• Can tissue-specific estrogen receptor agonism delay aging hallmarks in males?

To address these questions, my laboratory employs models and approaches ranging from primary cell culture, transgenic rodents, stereotaxic delivery of AAV viral vectors, in vivo metabolic assessments, molecular biology, and various cytometry techniques. My group also collaborates extensively with investigators around the globe who assist with our current projects, evolving projects and translational studies.

My Publications