Chaix Lab
Mission Statement
Research in the Chaix Lab seek to uncover the mechanisms by which diet-induced obesity contributes to type 2 diabetes (T2D) and breast cancer (BC), as foundations to developing novel pharmacological and dietary strategies to improve the lives of individuals affected by obesity and obesity-accelerated cancers.
We use a variety of dietary and genetic mouse models of obesity and metabolic disease, along with diverse nutritional and pharmacological interventions, including calorie restriction (CR), time-restricted feeding (TRF), ketogenic diet (KD) and incretin mimetics. By applying cutting-edge cellular, molecular and bioinformatics approaches to both preclinical models and patient samples, we aim to uncover translationally relevant pathways through which obesity and weight loss affect metabolic tissue function and breast cancer development.
Research Projects
Obesity and Breast Cancer
Establishing the molecular determinants of obesity-accelerated breast cancer growth to identify new targetable vulnerabilities.
Obesity, Weight Loss and Adipose Stem Cells
Establishing the effect on incretin mimetics therapies on the adipose tissue, during weight loss and upon the weight regain that accompany treatment cessation
Ketogenic Diet, Lipotoxicty and Islets Biology
Uncovering how long-term KD disrupts insulin secretion, with a focus on Golgi stress and lipotoxicity in pancreatic β-cells