The Importance of Genotyping in Research

The main objective of Hongxia Ren’s lab is research how certain neurological pathways are used to maintain metabolic homeostasis. A main focus of the lab is how G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) signaling can be potential targets for metabolic disease therapy. The main goal of the lab is to find potential therapies for metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. The research is done using models, such as transgenic mice, stem cells, and tissue cultures. Transgenic mice are used to better understand the expression of genes in specific tissues and how they effect the development of the animal. Stem cells are used to test how a specific drug can affect different organs and tissue cultures are to manipulate and analyze different cells. As a group the lab researches how neuronal and hormonal regulation of glucose has an effect on human diseases.

Supervisor: Hongxia Ren
Department: Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research