Sonia Michael Najjar, MS, PhD
Professor, Osteopathic Heritage Foundation John J. Kopchick, Ph.D., Endowed Eminent Research Chair
Academic & Research Center 331, Athens Campus
Biomedical Sciences
Diabetes Institute
Athens
Education:
- Physiology (PhD), Stanford University Medical School, 1989
- Chemistry (MS), San Francisco State University, 1983
- Biochemistry (BA), San Francisco State University, 1980
Expertise:
- Insulin signaling
- Insulin clearance
- Insulin secretion
- Insulin Metabolism
- Insulin resistance
- Lipid metabolism
- De novo lipogenesis
- Adipocyte-hepatocyte axis
- Diet-induced insulin resistance
- Obesity
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/NASH)
- Hepatic fibrosis
- Atherosclerosis
- Role of altered lipid metabolism in cancer
Summary of Work:
Prof Najjar is best recognized for identifying a key role for hepatic insulin clearance in insulin action and fat metabolism, and how reduced insulin clearance causes insulin resistance, obesity, NAFLD, and atherosclerosis. She pioneered the finding that insulin acutely reduces fatty acid synthesis as opposed to its known chronic lipogenic action.
Links:
View My Work in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/sonia.najjar.2/bibliography/public/