Our research focuses on how organisms sense and respond to nutrients

Postdoctoral researcher, Flaviane Silva, presented talks at the TSC International & FASEB Science Research Conferences.  She shared data from her project, which investigated how nutrient-sensing pathways, specifically mTOR and the Rag GTPases, contribute to renal cyst formation in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) and other renal cystic diseases.

Emma Mohlmann joined the lab as a PhD student. She will study the effects of adipose tissue browning on mTOR substrates in humans. Additionally, she aims to understand the mechanisms that activate browning through mTOR signaling, with the goal of discovering potential therapeutic targets for obesity and aging. 

Flaviane received a Faculty Award at the UMass Chan Medical School Educational Recognition Awards ceremony. 

Kate Korobkina successfully defended her PhD thesis and will continue her research in metabolism as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Ed Chouchani’s lab at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Postdoctoral researcher Flaviane Silva was awarded a prestigious TSC Alliance Fellowship.  Her project aims to understand the role of a protein called Rag GTPase in renal cystic diseases and Renal cell carcinoma (RCC).  It could also be linked to understanding kidney biology, which is relevant to studies on type 2 diabetes and obesity. 

Alex Boucher joined the lab as a second-year PhD student. His research focuses on Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD).

Newly minted PhD, John Haley joined the new Metabolomics Core Facility launched in the Program in Molecular Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School.  

PhD candidate John Haley was named an Emerging Scientist in Metabolism by Weill Cornell Medicine.  He was awarded the top prize in a national competition for senior graduate students conducting research on metabolism. Haley plans to pursue post-doctoral training focusing on the intersection of metabolism and signaling.

Flaviane Silva earned her PhD at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, focusing on adipose tissue plasticity and hypercortisolism.  She joins us to explore the regulation and function of adipocyte thermogenesis pathways, with the aim of identifying new disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets.

The Guertin lab had a strong presence at the 2023 joint Keystone meeting, "Adipose Tissue: Energizing the Good Fat," held in conjunction with "Bioenergetics in Health and Disease" in Colorado. Kate Korobkina received a Riccio travel award for UMass Chan Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences students to present her research. Kate, fellow graduate student John Haley, and postdoc Marie Isidor, PhD, presented posters. Marie received a travel award from the Novo Nordisk Center for Basic Research that also supports her postdoctoral research. Dr. Guertin was invited to present the lab's recent work on adipose tissue metabolic fluxes. 

David Guertin published a review on Acetyl-CoA Metabolism in Cancer in the prestigious journal Nature Reviews Cancer with close collaborator, Katy Wellen from the University of Pennsylvania.  Dysregulation of acetyl-CoA processes can promote tumor growth but dysfunctional acetyl-CoA metabolism is also central to obesity and type 2 diabetes.  Thus, the work discussed in this review is broadly relevant to human diseases.  

Proteomics and metabolomics are advancing the understanding of insulin signaling focusing on white and brown adipocytes.  In this review article, we describe how integrating the two ‘omics techniques is critical to clarifying adipocyte insulin action in Type 2 diabetes.  The article raises questions for future investigation with important implications for understanding and treating insulin resistance, obesity and metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes. 

The Guertin lab is featured in the new book Brown Adipose Tissue Methods and Protocols in the Methods in Molecular Biology series with a chapter titled “Stable Isotope Tracing and Metabolomics to Study In Vivo Brown Adipose Tissue Metabolic Fluxes.”  Dr. Guertin is also a co-editor of the book.

PhD student John Haley was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The four-year fellowship will enable him to investigate the impact of signaling and metabolic pathways on a nutrient-sensing complex in the liver.

TeYueh Lin (Derek) joined our lab as a postdoctoral fellow and will investigate mechanisms of nutrient sensing and metabolic signaling in fat cells (adipocytes).     

Qingbo Chen joins us as a Senior Research Scientist to study cellular mechanisms by which fat cells (adipocytes) adapt to dietary and environmental stress.  He recently completed a successful postdoc in the Molecular, Cell, and Cancer Biology (MCCB) Center at UMass Chan.   

Marie Sophie Lykke Isidor joined our lab as a Visiting Scholar from the University of Copenhagen.  Dr. Isidor was awarded a prestigious Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship from the European Union.  Her research project is examining how brown adipose tissue (BAT) uses glucose. Dr. Isidor’s GLUCOBAT project will expand our understanding of how thermogenic adipose tissue utilizes glucose in vivo.  

Ekaterina Korobkina was named a Mello Scholar by the Program in Molecular Medicine.  It's named after Nobel Laureate Craig Mello and recognizes deserving graduate students. The award comes with one year of funding to continue her research studying mechanisms of nutrient sensing in cells and tissues, focusing on mTORC2 regulation and thermogenesis pathways.  

In a new study published in Cell Reports, the Guertin Lab learned that Brown adipose tissue (BAT) uses glucose not only for fuel, but for many other metabolic pathways that support thermogenesis.  This was possible through adapting a new technique and strategy to track how brown fat uses the individual atoms of glucose as they are consumed by the brown fat tissue.

Former summer intern Shelagh Fluharty graduated from St. Michael's College with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a minor in Chemistry, and plans to attend graduate school. She has rejoined our lab as a full-time research assistant. 

Congratulations to post-doctoral fellow Camila Martinez Calejman for receiving a CONICET repatriation transition fellowship.  This prestigious award is designed to support talented researchers who have trained at foreign institutions in returning to Argentina to lead their independent research labs. 

Congratulations to Huawei Li on being promoted to Senior Research Associate. Huawei is an original member of the lab and has been a cornerstone of our existence. She has many critical roles including managing our mouse colony and animal protocol, overseeing day-to-day operations and ordering, in addition to performing research.  Her promotion is well deserved.

Congratulations to postdoctoral fellow Su-Myung Jung, who accepted a faculty position as a tenure-track assistant professor at Sungkyunkwan University.  Not only is it one of the top five universities in South Korea, but it's also his alma mater. 

Congratulations to our newest graduate student, Kate Korobkina, on passing her qualifying exam. We're excited to have Kate in the lab.  She'll be studying mechanisms of nutrient sensing in cells and tissues, focusing on mTORC2 regulation and thermogenesis pathways. 

Congratulations to Guertin lab graduate student alumni Chien-Min Hung, who recently started working for MICROBIO where he's studying the connection between gut microbiota and Type 2 diabetes. He recently completed a successful post-doc with Reuben Shaw at the Salk Institute, working on autophagy. Chien-Min graduated from our lab in 2016 after discovering a new role for mTORC2 in regulating brown fat activity. 

Congratulations to former Guertin lab graduate student Wen-Yu Hsiao, MD, PhD, on her acceptance into the pathology residency program at Emory University School of Medicine.  During her residency, Wen-Yu will participate in both basic science and translational research, and we are confident that she's well-prepared to become a leader.  During her time spent in our lab, she worked on the role of mTORC2 signaling in adipose tissue development. 

Newly published data in Cell Reports describe research on the mTORC2 signaling pathway conducted in the Guertin Lab. The responses we've observed in fat cells may uncover new strategies to improve insulin sensitivity.

Former UMass Amherst summer intern Will Doxsey returns to our lab as a full-time research assistant.  He graduated in May 2020 with a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UMass Amherst.  Will's twin brother, Dylan (with matching credentials), joined the lab of our awesome neighbor, Dr. Kuang Shen, who, like Dr. Guertin, is also an alumnus of the Sabatini lab.   

Congratulations to Wen-Yu Hsiao, MD, for successfully defending her thesis. Her project explored how nutrient-sensing signal transduction pathways regulate the growth of adipose tissues. Wen-Yu is going to Seattle, WA, to pursue a career in pathology. Best of luck, we will miss you!

Congratulations to Dr. Guertin on his promotion to full Professor!  Dave joined the Program in Molecular Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School as an Assistant Professor in 2009, following his postdoctoral work with David Sabatini at the Whitehead Institute. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2014 and received tenure in 2017.  Dave was previously a graduate student at UMass with Dannel McCollum. 

Collaborating with a proteomics lab at the University of Washington, Dr. Camila Martinez-Calejman examined time-dependent changes in mTORC2 signaling following insulin stimulation in mature brown adipocytes. 

A study by Camila Martinez Calejman, PhD, published in the journal Nature Communications, revealed an unexpected link between mTOR signaling and the synthesis of acetyl-CoA, a molecule with critical roles in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, as well as the epigenetic control of gene expression.  It describes the importance of this link in brown adipose tissue, but the implications may extend to understanding other aspects of type 2 diabetes and cancer.  

When Amelia isn't investigating the regulation of mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) in cancer, she enjoys officiating rugby matches. She was recently named one of the top officials in Major League Rugby in the United States. 

The UMass Chan Medical School Metabolic Network is a campus-wide special interest group that connects the many laboratories and scientists who study various facets of metabolism and metabolic regulation. Regular MetNet meetings will feature in-house lectures and external invited experts, and provide attendees the opportunity to learn new biology, find potential collaborators, and advance new technologies. 

Wen-Yu presents an interesting perspective based on recent findings about what makes a fat cell “healthy” and why.  Our lab continues to examine how the metabolism of adipocytes impacts blood glucose and insulin resistance especially in people living with obesity and/or type 2 diabetes. 

John Haley of the Guertin Lab was named a Mello Scholar by the Program in Molecular Medicine.  The award is named after Nobel Laureate Craig Mello and recognizes deserving graduate students with one year of funding. 

Su Myung Jung, PhD and former graduate student Chien-Min Hung, celebrate co-first authorship on a paper published in Molecular Cell.  They found that inhibiting mTORC2 in brown fat can protect against obesity and fatty liver disease. They went on to show that the mechanism is at least in part through a non-canonical pathway involving the deacetylase SIRT6 and the transcription factor FoxO1.  

Lorena joins us as a visiting scientist from the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain.  The Government of Spain-Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness awards Predoctoral Mobility Grants to talented graduate students to receive temporary training in foreign research and development centers.  She'll be working with us to study mechanisms linking adipose tissue dysfunction to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.   

Congratulations to Amelia on this prestigious award.  The American Cancer Society fellowship supports the careers of young, talented, and forward-thinking cancer researchers who are within three years of completing a doctoral degree and preparing for an independent career in cancer research.  Amelia’s project focuses on understanding the regulation of mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) in cancer. 

Camila was selected to give a platform presentation at the FASEB Regulation of Glucose Metabolism Conference in Palm Springs, California.  She was also awarded a travel grant.  Camila presented her research on the downstream functions of mTORC2 in brown adipocytes, Elucidating mTORC2 action in brown adipocyte metabolism reveals its specific role in controlling acetyl CoA synthesis. 

Congratulations to Peter for successfully defending his thesis.  Peter is an MD/PhD candidate.  He conducted his research in the Guertin lab about the role of mTORC1 in adipose tissue and was the recipient of an NIH MD/PhD Fellowship Award in 2015.  Peter has returned to medical school to finish his rotations.  Best of luck, we will miss you! 

Yuefeng is did seminal work on uncovering the key role mTORC2 in the regulation of de novo lipogenesis and ChREBP in white adipose tissue.  He also made many critical contributions to other projects in the lab during his time with us.  A cornerstone of the Guertin Lab, Yuefeng brought passion and a smile every day, and he we will be missed.  He has advanced to the Program in Applied Mathematics and Statistics at Stony Brook University and we wish him the best of luck and future success. Farewell Photo

Su was selected to speak at the “Bioenergetics and Metabolic Disease” Keystone meeting in Keystone, Colorado.  He also received a travel award and presented a poster.  Su presented his research on the role of mTORC2 signaling in regulating brown fat and whole-body lipid storage.      

Congratulations to Juan who is off to start his own lab at Cincinnati Children's Hospital as a tenure-track Assistant Professor.  We look forward to (continued) great successes from the Sanchez-Gurmaches lab.