Seminar

Fat Hormones and Energy Balance

Guang William Wong, PhD

Dr. William Wong group aim to understand how organs and tissues in the body coordinate the complex metabolic networks and circuitry to maintain proper energy balance, failure of which results in metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Specifically. They focus on elucidating the role of a novel family of adipose-derived hormones (CTRPs) in controlling glucose and fatty acid metabolism. The function of one such hormone (CTRP9) will be presented in greater details to illustrate complex tissue crosstalk underlying the integrated control of energy metabolism. G. William Wong is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology and Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Wong received his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University, working on innate immunity, followed by post-doctoral training at the Whitehead Institute at M.I.T. In 2008, he joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins University. Current efforts in the laboratory centered on elucidating the physiological functions and mechanisms of action of a novel family of adipose-derived hormones his lab has recently identified. A combination of molecular, cellular, and in vivo (transgenic and knockout) approaches are being used in the lab to address how these secreted hormones mediate inter-tissue crosstalk to control integrated physiology and energy homeostasis.