Peng Zhao, Ph.D.

The overall theme of our research is the regulation of energy homeostasis, lipid metabolism, inflammation and cell death in mammalian systems, with special emphasis on adipose tissue, liver, immune system, and blood vessels. We work at biochemical and physiological levels, employing clinical knowledge, genetically engineered animal models, surgically, dietarily or chemically-induced disease models, and multi-omics approaches to identify new therapeutic targets for human diseases. 

Obesity is a major risk factor for numerous diseases, particularly insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Our lab investigates the regulation of energy metabolism, glucose metabolism, and lipid metabolism to identify new therapeutic strategies to treat diabetes. 

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has become a major cause of end-stage liver diseases including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our lab is interested in understanding the causes of the heterogeneous pathology of NASH, including hepatic steatosis, inflammation, liver injury, and fibrosis with the goal of identifying novel targets to reverse NASH and prevent its progression to HCC. 

• Professional Background

  Education

  • 2020 - Postdoctoral fellow - University of California San Diego
  • 2014 - Ph.D. - Louisiana State University/Pennington Biomedical Research Center

• Research & Grants

  Zhao Lab

  Grants

  K99/R00 NIH Pathway to Independence Award

• Publications

   

  1.  Zhao, P.*#, Sun, X.*, Chaggan, C., Liao, Z., In Wong, K., He, F., Singh, S., Loomba, R., Karin, M., Witztum, J. L., and Saltiel, A. R#. (2020) An AMPK-caspase-6 axis controls liver damage in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Science 367, 652-660. (#co-corresponding authors; *co-first authors)

  2. Sun, X.#, Seidman, J. S., Zhao, P., Troutman, T. D., Spann, N. J., Que, X., Zhou, F., Liao, Z., Pasillas, M., Yang, X., Magida, J. A., Kisseleva, T., Brenner, D. A., Downes, M., Evans, R. M., Saltiel, A. R., Tsimikas, S., Glass, C. K., and Witztum, J. L#. (2020) Neutralization of Oxidized Phospholipids Ameliorates Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis. Cell Metab 31, 189-206 e188. (#co-corresponding authors)

  3. Reilly, S. M., Hung, C. W., Ahmadian, M., Zhao, P., Keinan, O., Gomez, A. V., DeLuca, J. H., Dadpey, B., Lu, D., Zaid, J., Poirier, B., Peng, X., Yu, R. T., Downes, M., Liddle, C., Evans, R. M., Murphy, A. N., and Saltiel, A. R. (2020) Catecholamines suppress fatty acid re-esterification and increase oxidation in white adipocytes via STAT3. Nat Metab 2, 620-634

  4. Zhao, P., Wong, K. I., Sun, X., Reilly, S. M., Uhm, M., Liao, Z., Skorobogatko, Y., and Saltiel, A. R. (2018) TBK1 at the Crossroads of Inflammation and Energy Homeostasis in Adipose Tissue. Cell 172, 731-743 e712

  5. Kim, J. Y., Garcia-Carbonell, R., Yamachika, S., Zhao, P., Dhar, D., Loomba, R., Kaufman, R. J., Saltiel, A. R., and Karin, M. (2018) ER Stress Drives Lipogenesis and Steatohepatitis via Caspase-2 Activation of S1P. Cell 175, 133-145 e115

  6. Oral, E. A., Reilly, S. M., Gomez, A. V., Meral, R., Butz, L., Ajluni, N., Chenevert, T. L., Korytnaya, E., Neidert, A. H., Hench, R., Rus, D., Horowitz, J. F., Poirier, B., Zhao, P., Lehmann, K., Jain, M., Yu, R., Liddle, C., Ahmadian, M., Downes, M., Evans, R. M., and Saltiel, A. R. (2017) Inhibition of IKKvarepsilon and TBK1 Improves Glucose Control in a Subset of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Cell Metab 26, 157-170 e157