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Research

Faculty members in UC Irvine's Division of Endocrinology are involved in leading-edge research activities aimed at advancing the understanding of such critical health issues as diabetes, cancer and metabolic syndrome.
 
Our primary investigators collaborate with other departments and centers within UC Irvine's School of Medicine and across the university to develop innovative approaches to the full range of endocrine disorders.

Our researchers have received funding for their work from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases as well as a variety of foundations and private sources.

Research areas include:

  • Understanding the transcriptional regulation of normal development of epidermis, hair follicles and mammary glands, and to use this knowledge to gain insights into carcinogenesis in epithelial tissues.
  • Understanding the molecular structure of the plasma membrane estrogen receptor and its effects on estrogen in-vitro and in-vivo, especially on the cardiovascular system and in breast cancer. Studies involve mutagenesis or inhibition of endogenous receptors and genetic mouse models.
  • Understanding the molecular regulation of energy production, oxidative stress and apoptosis in diabetic cardiomyopathy, as well as developing new therapeutic targets through systemic drug discovery.
  • Investigating molecular mechanisms that regulate human stem cell development into specialized tissues and finding novel methods to direct that development.
  • Developing noninvasive technologies to monitor blood glucose levels in diabetic patients with engineered proteins.