Touchstone Diabetes Center
The Touchstone Diabetes Center is devoted to the study of the cells and tissues that are either contributing to or are affected by diabetes and its related diseases. Research in the Touchstone Diabetes Center focuses on both basic and clinical aspects of Type I and Type II diabetes, and questions related to the impact of diabetes and obesity on cardiovascular disease outcome and cancer incidence.
The Touchstone Diabetes Center is part of a fully integrated research effort at UT Southwestern in the area of metabolic research. Relevant partners in this effort are the Division of Hypothalamic Research, Center for Human Nutrition, the Taskforce for Obesity Research at UT Southwestern (TORS), the McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, and the Simmons Cancer Center.
Our Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Core provides a full spectrum of services for the metabolic phenotyping of preclinical models and assay capabilities for clinical samples.
Focus Areas within the Touchstone Diabetes Center
- Adipose tissue physiology: systemic impact of adipocyte-derived factors on insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular disease
- Beta cell physiology: apoptotic and regenerative aspects of b-cell physiology
- Impact of obesity on breast cancer incidence and progression
- Regenerative aspects of tissues related to diabetic complications
- Sexually dimorphic physiology of adipose tissue and the impact on sexually dimorphic disease susceptibility
- Impact of sex hormones on energy metabolism
Faculty
Philipp Scherer, PhD
Professor
Gifford O. Touchstone Jr. and Randolph G. Touchstone
Distinguished Chair in Diabetes Research
Departments of Internal Medicine and Cell Biology
Director, Touchstone Diabetes Center
Aktar Ali, PhD
Assistant Professor
Touchstone Diabetes Center
Deborah J. Clegg, RD, PhD
Associate Professor
Touchstone Diabetes Center and Center for Human Nutrition
Ruth Gordillo, PhD
Assistant Professor
Touchstone Diabetes Center
Dorothy Mundy, PhD
Assistant Professor
Touchstone Diabetes Center
Young Lee, PhD
Assistant Professor
Touchstone Diabetes Center
May-Yun Wang, PhD
Assistant Professor
Touchstone Diabetes Center
Roger Unger, MD
Professor
Touchstone Diabetes Center
Rana Gupta, PhD
Assistant Professor
Touchstone Diabetes Center
Jaime Davidson, MD, FACP, MACE
Clinical Professor of Medicine
Touchstone Diabetes Center
Assistant Instructors
William Holland, PhD
Instructor
Touchstone Diabetes Center
Jiyoung Park, PhD
Instructor
Touchstone Diabetes Center
Kai Sun, PhD
Instructor
Touchstone Diabetes Center
Eva Ingrid Marie Wernstedt Asterholm, PhD
Instructor
Touchstone Diabetes Center
Secondary Appointments in Touchstone Diabetes Center
Jay D. Horton, M.D.
Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Genetics
Joel K. Elmquist DVM, PhD
Professor
Maclin Family Distinguished Professor in Medical Science, in Honor of Dr. Roy A. Brinkley
Carl H. Westcott Distinguished Chair in Medical Research
Departments of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology
Director, Division of Hypothalamic Research
Joyce Repa, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Physiology
Philip Raskin, MD
Professor
Department of Endocrinology