Renee LeBoeuf, Ph.D.Professor, Pathobiology(State University of New York, Buffalo, 1977) | |
| Email: leboeuf@u.washington.edu |
Research is directed toward identifying environmental and genetic factors involved in the development of atherosclerosis, diabetes/obesity, and Alzheimer's disease. Environmental factors include dietary components (e.g. fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, and iron) and potential pathogens (e.g. Chlamydia). Genetic factors include genes coding for proteins involved in lipid metabolism and inflammation. A focus is the role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) and mice lacking TNF and IL-1 receptors are used to determine the molecular mechanism(s) controlling disease severity. Inbred mouse strains differing in susceptibility to these diseases are used. Finally, inbred mice are used in positional cloning approaches to identify new genes involved in disease development.