My research has focused on Growth, Obesity, and Diabetes.  
One of the approaches is to establish protein biomarkers that lead to:
 1. Early detection of disease processes
 2. Assessment of the disease progression
 3. Identification of therapeutic targets
Since blood is in direct contact with many tissues and pathological tissue changes are likely to be reflected in plasma proteomic profiles. Recently we have established that not only changes in certain proteins, but also changes in isoform composition are an important predictor of pathological changes.

We are also initiating a research project to assess the involvement of GH-IGF-1 axis to obesity and diabetes in terms of immune cell contributions.  It has become clearer that pathological changes in these conditions are related to low grade inflammation.  Also GH status dramatically changes adipose tissue.  We are planning to produce chimeras of GH and GHR in terms of immune cells and establish the contribution of GH-IGF-1 axis using mouse models.

Selected Publications

• Fukushima T, Arai T, Ariga-Nedachi M, Okajima H, Ooi Y, Iijima Y, Sone M, Cho Y,Ando Y, Kasahara K, Ozoe A, Yoshihara H, Chida K, Okada S, Kopchick JJ, Asano T, Hakuno F, Takahashi S. 2011 Insulin receptor substrates form high-molecular-mass complexes that modulate their availability to insulin/insulin-like growth factor-I receptor tyrosine kinases. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. Jan 21;404(3):767-73.

• Cruz-Topete D, Christensen B, Sackmann-Sala L, Okada S, Jorgensen JO, Kopchick JJ. 2011 Serum proteome changes in acromegalic patients following transsphenoidal surgery: novel biomarkers of disease activity. Eur J Endocrinol. Feb;164(2):157-67

• Cruz-Topete D, List EO, Okada S, Kelder B, Kopchick JJ.  2011 Proteomic changes in the heart of diet-induced pre-diabetic mice.  J. Proteomics Feb 24.

• Okada S, List EO, Sankaran S, Kopchick JJ. 2010  Plasma protein biomarkers correlated with the development of diet-induced type-2 diabetes in mice. Clin Proteomics 6(1-2):6-17.

For more publications please link to PubMed.

Related Links

College of Osteopathic Medicine
Edison Biotechnology Institute