Molecular physiologist Marc van Gilst to join Basic Sciences Division

Brief

A researcher who studies how dietary intake affects metabolism will join the Basic Sciences Division faculty this fall.

Dr. Marc van Gilst, currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Keith Yamamoto's laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco, has developed a system to study the physiological response to dietary fats, nutrients and environmental toxins in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans. His research focuses on a worm protein whose human counterpart is a key regulator of fat usage and an important drug target for treatment of diabetes, obesity and cancer.

"Mark is applying a molecular genomics approach in a model organism to problems of enormous physiological significance," said Dr. Jim Roberts, director of the Basic Sciences Division. "His work is creative, innovative and experimentally aggressive."

"Mark's willingness to take risks and to address issues that are both timely and of key biological importance will make him a wonderful addition to the Basic Sciences Division. He is exactly the kind of person we want to attract, and we are fortunate that he will be coming here this autumn."

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