Brian Layden, MD
Division Chief and Associate Professor
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism in the Department of Medicine
College of Medicine
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CMWT Suite E625, M/C 640
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About
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Division Chief for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The overall theme of my research is understanding metabolic diseases, with a particular focus on gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Currently, we have two main areas of focus, first is to investigate how novel GPCRs contribute to physiological and pathological states. This project, in particular, focuses on GPCRs that are regulated by nutrients derived from the gut microbiome, in particular, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The other project is on HKDC1, where this gene has been discovered through our work and we have described how this gene leads to the development of hyperglycemia in pregnancy and gestational diabetes.
Research Currently in Progress
The major focus of our research is to investigate pathways involved in the development of type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, and other related disorders. Through genetic models, our laboratory is investigating different genes and pathways involved in glucose regulation/metabolism. In addition to genetic mouse models, we complement these approaches with a large range of in vitro approaches including cell-based assays and studies investigating isolated protein functional activity.