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Discoveries

Discovery of lipophagy, i.e., degradation of lipid droplets through autophagy (Nature 2009; 458: 1131-1135)

Identifying that autophagy controls adipocyte differentiation (Journal of Clinical Investigation 2009; 119(11): 3329-3339)

Showing that AgRP neuronal lipophagy controls food intake (Cell Metabolism. 2011; 14: 173-183)

Demonstrating that POMC neuronal autophagy regulates feeding and energy expenditure (EMBO Reports. 2012; 13(3): 258-265) 

Demonstrating that POMCergic autophagy controls lipophagy in peripheral tissues (Cell Metabolism. 2016; 23: 113-127) 

Showing that POMC neuronal autophagy decreases with age (EMBO Reports. 2012; 13(3): 258-265) 

Establishing a novel twice-a-day feeding approach to prevent age-associated metabolic syndrome (Cell Metabolism. 2017;26(6):856-871)

Discovering that autophagy controls the clock by degrading the core clock protein, Cryptochrome-1 (Cell Metabolism. 2018;28(2):268-281)

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Key lectures

2019                            Keynote Speaker, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, t.b.h.

2019                            Invited Speaker, Mt. Sinai, New York

2019                            Invited Speaker, Yale University, Connecticut

2018                            Tufts University/HNRCA, Boston

2018                            Invited Speaker, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago

2018                            Invited Speaker, FASEB Lipid Droplet meeting, Steamboats

2018                            Invited Speaker, Lipid Signaling and Aging Workshop, NIA, Bethesda

2017                            Invited Speaker, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

2016                            Guest Speaker, Winter School 2016/Danish Diabetes Association, Málaga, Spain

2016                            Invited Speaker, University of Coimbra, Portugal

2016                            Invited Speaker, University of Cincinnati, Department of Cancer Biology, Cincinnati

2016                            Invited Speaker, University of California, Berkeley

2016                            Invited Speaker, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis

2015                            Invited Speaker, Gordon Research Conference, Lysosomal Diseases, Galveston

2015                            Invited Speaker, Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City

2015                            Invited Speaker, 4th Annual NYC Regional Diabetes Meeting, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York

2015                            Invited Speaker, Molecular Medicine Research Seminars at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh

2014                            City University of New York, Queens College, Queens, New York

2014                            Invited Seminar, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge, UK

2014                            Invited Speaker, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy

2014                            Invited Speaker, University of Barcelona, Spain 

2014                            Invited Speaker, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz, Madrid, Spain

2014                            Invited Speaker, Symposium - Cellular Autophagy and Metabolism at ADA's 74th Scientific Sessions. San Francisco

2014                            Invited Speaker, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca

2014                            Invited Speaker, Institute for Aging - Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

2013                            Invited speaker, Keystone Symposia: Adipose tissue Biology, Keystone

2013                            Invited Lecturer, Neuroscience School of Advanced Studies. Autophagy and Neuroprotection, Cortona, Italy

2013                            MRC/Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College, London

2012                            Invited speaker, NY Lipid Club, Rockefeller University, New York

2012                            Invited speaker, Gordon Research Conference, Protein Processing, Trafficking & Secretion, New London

2011                             Keynote speaker, Nutrigenomics Organization (NuGO) conference, Wageningen, Netherlands

2010                            Invited Speaker, Blankenese Conference, Hamburg, Germany

2010                            Invited Lecturer, CIC-BioGUNE, Bizkaia, Spain

2010                            Invited Speaker, Children’s Hospital, Boston

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Grants

6R01AG043517-05           (Investigator)                               Hypothalamic Autophagy and Metabolic Regulation in Aging

R21ES028960                     (Co-Investigator)                       Role of Autophagy in Manganese-induced Neurotoxicity

ADA IBS Award                    (Investigator)                               Exploring the Circadian Control of Glucose Metabolism by Autophagy

1R01DK123327-01              (Investigator)                               Molecular Regulation of Gut Lipid Metabolism by mTOR and Autophagy proteins

1R01AG065985-01           (Investigator)                               Circadian Mechanisms of Diabetes Prevention in Aged mice

5P01AG031782                  (Project Leader)                          Functional Consequences of Impaired Autophagy in Aging