Metabolism Interest Group
Metabolism Interest Group Seminar Schedule
The goal of the Metabolism Interest Group (MIG) seminars is to provide an informal venue to get constructive feedback from the metabolism community at Vanderbilt. This includes anything from preliminary data or proposed aims to more fleshed out projects ready for publication.
Seminars are every other Tuesday at 9 a.m. (time subject to change during scheduled MPB faculty meetings). For more information or to sign up to present, please contact Dr. Louise Lantier.
Below are the speakers for Fall semester 2026 through January 2027.
| Date | Name | Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 22, 2026 | Guillaume Kraft | Edgerton Lab |
| Oct. 6, 2026 | Claude Albritton | Hinton Lab |
| Oct. 20, 2026 | (MMPC Tracer course) | |
| Nov. 3, 2026 | Ritika Raghavan | Ayala Lab |
| Nov. 17, 2026 | (MPB faculty meeting) | |
| Dec. 1, 2026 | Alex Eddie | Zaganjor Lab |
| Dec. 15, 2026 | ||
| Dec. 29, 2026 | ||
| Jan. 12, 2027 | Alessandra Norris | Winn Lab |
Metabolism Interest Group (MIG) Affiliated Labs
| Name | Primary Appointment | Research Interests |
|---|---|---|
| Rafael Arrojo e Drigo, Ph.D. | Molecular Physiology and Biophysics | Understanding the basic mechanisms regulating cellular longevity in health and metabolic disease |
| Richard Breyer, Ph.D. | Medicine, Biochemistry, Pharmacology | Characterization of the molecular mechanism of action of Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and determination of the structure-function relationships of the PGE2 receptors |
| Marcela Brissova, Ph.D. | Medicine | Development of pancreatic islet vasculature and innervation; regulation of islet cell gene expression controlling beta cell function |
| Nancy Carrasco, M.D. | Molecular Physiology and Biophysics | Structure, transport mechanism, regulation, and physiological roles of the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) |
| Wenbiao Chen, Ph.D. | Molecular Physiology and Biophysics | Molecular mechanisms controlling islet endocrine cell adaptation to insulin resistance |
| Kathleen DelGiorno, Ph.D. | Cell & Developmental Biology | Cancer biology and cell signaling |
| Maureen Gannon, Ph.D. | Medicine | Genes regulating beta cell differentiation, proliferation, and survival |
| Guoqiang Gu, Ph.D. | Cell and Developmental Biology | Mechanisms underlying beta cell production, function, and maintenance in the pancreas |
| David Jacobson, Ph.D. | Molecular Physiology and Biophysics | Targeting islet calcium handling mechanisms to treat diabetes |
| Irina Kaverina, Ph.D. | Cell and Developmental Biology | Microtubule regulation of islet beta cell metabolism, function, and architecture |
| Mark Magnuson, M.D. | Molecular Physiology and Biophysics | Calcium signaling and pancreatic beta-cell failure |
| Anna Means, Ph.D. | Department of Surgery | Cell-cell signaling in pancreatic development and pancreatic cancer |
| Richard O'Brien, Ph.D. | Molecular Physiology and Biophysics | Regulation of insulin secretion focusing on G6PC2 and ZnT8 |
| Lucia Rameh Plant, Ph.D. | Biochemistry | |
| Alvin Powers, M.D. | Medicine | Pancreatic islet biology including development, vascularization, imaging, and regeneration strategies for type 1 diabetes |
| C. Michael Stein, M.B.Ch.B. | Medicine | |
| Kasey Vickers, Ph.D. | Medicine | Small RNA regulation in lipid metabolism and systemic homeostasis |
| Chris Wright, D. Phil. | Cell and Developmental Biology | Mechanisms coordinating development of complex organ systems |