연구실소개

Introductory Statement

Throughout my research career, I have been focusing on molecular mechanisms by which environmental factors (e.g., diet) can influence the etiology of preventable chronic diseases (e.g., colon cancer), with a particular focus on hepatic xenobiotics metabolism. Since the beginning of my professorship in 2016, I have utilized a diverse set of approaches including in vivo, ex vivo, in vitro cell cultures, human intervention, and molecular biology techniques. In addition, I have completed research projects in which multi-omics approaches were used to capture global impacts of dietary interventions in conjunction with bioinformatics analyses. The unbiased approaches include transcriptomics, proteomics, targeted/untargeted metabolomics (both serum and urine samples), and microRNomics. Also, I have sufficient experience with the mouse model and disease conditions [e.g., isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) knock-out (KO) mice; see the publications).

I started my PhD study in 2009 and received the degree in 2013 under the mentorship of Drs. Trudo and Gallaher at University of Minnesota (UMN). My doctoral project aimed to elucidate mechanisms underlying the chemopreventive potential of cruciferous and apiaceous vegetables against a colon carcinogen, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), that is the most mass-abundant carcinogen found in overcooked meats. Specifically, I found that in a rat model, apiaceous vegetables effectively reduce colonic PhIP–DNA adducts at a dosage that is achievable in humans through mechanism(s) other than the commonly known mechanism, inhibition of procarcinogen activation in the liver. These results prompted me, during my postdoctoral work, to further explore whether microRNA modulations might be involved. Additionally, during my postdoctoral training, I have completed a human intervention study in which cruciferous and apiaceous vegetables were provided with overcooked meats to monitor how these vegetables influence the urinary metabolomics signature in humans.