Professors Hotamisligil from Harvard's School of Public Health and Spector from the University of Iowa to advise Lipomics on research into the causes of obesity, diabetes and heart disease
Lipomics Technologies has announced that Professor Gokhan Hotamisligil has joined Lipomics's scientific advisory board.
He joins Arthur (Art) Spector, professor of biochemistry and internal medicine at Iowa University and a renowned investigator in inflammatory lipids and eicosanoids, as the two newest members of the board.
Spector joined Lipomics's scientific advisory board in November 2004.
Spector is University of Iowa Foundation Distinguished Professor, and Hotamisligil is James Simmons Professor of Genetics and Metabolism and the chair of the department of genetics and complex diseases at Harvard University's School of Public Health.
A globally recognised leader and contributor in his field, Hotamisligil's research efforts focus on the study of regulatory pathways controlling glucose and lipid metabolism, particularly the biochemical and genetic basis of human metabolic and inflammatory diseases that include obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis and asthma.
His discoveries include the identification of molecular pathways that link obesity and diabetes, the identification of molecular links between pathogen and nutrient sensing systems, the discovery of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) as a key inflammatory kinase involved in the integration of immune and metabolic responses and type 2 diabetes.
Most recently, he identified fatty acid binding proteins as key links between macrophage and adipocyte function in metabolic syndrome and discovered endoplasmic reticulum stress as a core mechanism that underlies systemic metabolic homeostasis.
"I am delighted to have a person with Dr Hotamisligil's experience in metabolism join our scientific advisory board," said Steve Watkins, Lipomics's chief scientific officer.
"Gokhan will be a tremendous asset to Lipomics's efforts to understand the underlying biology of inflammatory and metabolic processes as they relate to important diseases and to identify fundamental markers of health and disease".
"I greatly appreciate the opportunity to join the scientific board of such an entrepreneurial and innovative organization as Lipomics," said Gokhan Hotamisligil.
"Challenges in measuring and interpreting lipids have led to their having often been overlooked in the development of biomarkers and diagnostic tools.
"Yet, because lipids are such ubiquitous, diverse and critical components of metabolism, they provide incredible insights into the function of cells, and how that function is changed by the environment, genes, and diseases.
"For the first time, we have the ability to look at changes in all lipid metabolites at once and the potential of linking those changes with defined molecular processes and disease pathogenesis".
"We are very pleased to have both Professors Hotamisligil and Spector join us at Lipomics," said Tom Anderson, CEO of Lipomics.
"Their depth of experience in understanding the metabolic basis of disease complements Lipomics's capabilities in metabolic profiling, with the promise of creating exciting insights in the pursuit of more effective therapies".
"It is gratifying to see Lipomics moving the most recent advances in lipid science into drug discovery and clinical diagnostics, so that our advancing knowledge concerning lipid mediators of metabolic processes can be applied to improving human health and well-being," adds Dr Spector.
Spector's research focuses on the role of fatty acids and their derivatives in biological systems.
His particular focus is in polyunsaturated fatty acids that are substrates for synthesis of bioactive lipid mediators implicated in vasodilation and vasoconstriction, protection against vascular disease, and neural function.
Specific lipid metabolites under investigation by Spector include epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs), 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) and the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
