Andrea L. Hevener, PhD

Dr. Andrea Hevener's laboratory is focused on elucidating the tissue-specific functions of transcription factors in the regulation of inflammation, oxidative metabolism, and insulin action. The primary goal of her laboratory is to understand the molecular underpinnings of insulin resistance and the relationships between insulin resistance, obesity and chronic disease. Hevener's research team relies heavily on mouse genetics to establish models of chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, obesity, atherosclerosis and certain forms of cancer (breast and hepatocellular carcinoma). In vivo, in situ and in vitro approaches are utilized to study disease pathobiology as well as identify novel molecular targets that can be exploited pharmacologically to repress inflammation and improve cellular metabolism and insulin action so as prevent or ameliorate complications associated with chronic disease.

Hevener AL, Febbraio MA; Stock Conference Working Group. The 2009 stock conference report: inflammation, obesity and metabolic disease. Obes Rev. 2010 Sep;11(9):635-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2009.00691.x.

Ribas V, Nguyen MT, Henstridge DC, Nguyen AK, Beaven SW, Watt MJ, Hevener AL. Impaired oxidative metabolism and inflammation are associated with insulin resistance in ERalpha-deficient mice. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Feb;298(2):E304-19. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00504.2009. Epub 2009 Nov 17.

Chung J, Nguyen AK, Henstridge DC, Holmes AG, Chan MH, Mesa JL, Lancaster GI, Southgate RJ, Bruce CR, Duffy SJ, Horvath I, Mestril R, Watt MJ, Hooper PL, Kingwell BA, Vigh L, Hevener A, Febbraio MA. HSP72 protects against obesity-induced insulin resistance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Feb 5;105(5):1739-44. Epub 2008 Jan 25.

Hevener AL, Olefsky JM, Reichart D, Nguyen MT, Bandyopadyhay G, Leung HY, Watt MJ, Benner C, Febbraio MA, Nguyen AK, Folian B, Subramaniam S, Gonzalez FJ, Glass CK, Ricote M. Macrophage PPAR gamma is required for normal skeletal muscle and hepatic insulin sensitivity and full antidiabetic effects of thiazolidinediones. J Clin Invest. 2007 Jun;117(6):1658-69. Epub 2007 May 24.