Influences of Nutrition on Health and Disease
In the Chaix Lab, we study how nutrition influences health. We use mouse models of obesity, diabetes and obesity-associated breast cancer to get a better understanding of the pathophysiology of these diseases and test new dietary and pharmacological approaches to prevent them. We hope that our results can ultimately improve the life of people living with those disease.
Elena studies how different weight loss interventions such as restricting calories or using drugs such as Ozempic affect the biology of adipocytes. This is important because the health of the adipocytes which make up our fat depots can play an important role in overall health.
Renan studies how different weight loss interventions, such as restricting calories or using drugs such as Ozempic, affect breast cancer growth. Obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer and cancer patients with overweight are advised to lose weight. Renan investigates whether all weight loss strategies are equivalent in reducing the risk of developing or the risk of recurrence of breast cancer.
Sawyer studies how lipids are taken up by breast cancer cells to fuel their growth and whether lipid lowering drugs can be used to reduce breast cancer burden. This is fundamental to understand as drugs targeting lipid metabolism are available and some might be useful or detrimental in patients depending on the lipid-dependency of their tumors.
Sharath is a computational scientist that studies how the gene expression program of breast cancers varies with the metabolic health of the patients. This is important to device individualnutrition and pharmacological approaches that can efficiently combat each patients cancer.
The Chaix lab also hosts undergraduates from the LEAP program and two lab technicians that are former undergrads. We all meet to discuss progresses weekly at lab meeting as well as one-on-one with Dr. Chaix. The lab is an inclusive and respectful workplace in which all students are encouraged and supported to pursue their dream carer goals.