Research

Park and Bae Laboratory: Metabolic Research Group

   Research Overview

We apply an integrated approach to metabolic disease which involves biochemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology and physiology studies to understand the pathogenesis and complications of metabolic diseases such as obesity, fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes and inflammatory diseases. Professors Park and Bae, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students from domestic and international backgrounds are included in the research projects.

   Key Research Projects

• Sirtuin project: Sirtuins are a family of signaling proteins involved in metabolic regulation. They are ancient in animal evolution and appear to possess a highly conserved structure throughout all kingdoms of life. Mammals possess seven sirtuins (from Sirt1 to Sirt7) based on their biological activities and subcellular localization. Using a combination of tissue specific Sirt6 knockout mice and in vitro cellular models, our studies are directed toward understanding how Sirt6 impacts on metabolic health and risk of metabolic diseases.
• p21 activated kinase 4 (PAK4) project: PAK4 is one of six members of the PAK family of serine/threonine kinases and regulates cytoskeleton remodeling, phenotypic signaling and gene expression. It affects directional motility, invasion, metastasis, and growth. We have generated several tissue specific PAK4 knockout mice to better understand the mechanism how PAK signaling modulates glucose and fat metabolism and thereby susceptibility to metabolic diseases.

   Collaborations

• Prof. Chang Yeob Han, College of Pharmacy, Jeonbuk National University
• Prof. Sangkyu Lee, College of Pharmacy, Kyungpook National University

   Funding

• Medical Research Center Program (to BHP), Nation Research Foundation
• Basic Science Research Program (to BHP and EJB), Nation Research Foundation
• Technology Innovation Program (to EJB), Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy
• Bio & Medical Technology Development Program (to EJB), National Research Foundation

 

♣ Interested in joining our team? We are looking for motivated and enthusiastic post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergrads. General enquiries can be made by directly contacting Prof. Byung-Hyun Park (bhpark@jbnu.ac.kr, 82-63-270-3139) or Prof. Eun Ju Bae (ejbae7@jbnu.ac.kr, 82-63-219-5650).