Research

We study the biology of nutrient sensing. Sensing and adapting to changes in nutrient availability are basic survival requirements that occur in individual cells, by organs, and across whole organisms. Altered nutrient sensing is associated with cancer, diabetes, and infectious diseases and one of our long-term goals is to identify nodes of metabolic control that can be targeted therapeutically. We are specifically interested in the interplay between nutrient sensing signaling mechanisms and metabolism focusing on the mTOR pathway, and we have made many significant contributions towards understanding mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) including its discovery, functions, and roles in health and disease. We also study adipose and liver organ biology including how these tissues utilize nutrients and communicate to maintain energy balance. In this area, we have made important advances in understanding the development and metabolism of brown adipose tissue, which was only recently recognized as a critical regulator of metabolic homeostasis in adult humans.

For more info, please vist our website at http://www.umassmed.edu/guertinlab/.