faculty

Akhila Rajan

akhila@fredhutch.org

Fred Hutch,

Cell Signaling & Cell/Environment Interactions (Area Director)

Developmental Biology, Stem Cells & Aging

Neuroscience

Neural and cellular mechanisms governing energy homeostasis

Faculty Contact Information

Building: Weintraub Building Room: B2 163 Box: B2 152 Phone: 206-667-1432 http://akhilalab.org/

Lab Information

Location: Fred Hutch Building: Weintraub Room: B2 183 Box: B2 152 Phone: 206-667-4186 http://akhilalab.org/

Accepting Students For:

Rotation, Autumn

Rotation, Spring

Rotation, Summer

Rotation, Winter

Permanent

Research Summary

We pursue multi-pronged investigations into how energy availability is sensed, communicated and integrated. Fat cells communicate information regarding stored lipid levels to neural circuits. Neural circuits integrate physiological inputs, such as stored fat levels, to regulate organismal behaviors including hunger and exercise. Our goal is to understand how fat communicates nutrient status to the brain, and how chronic nutrient surplus disrupts this communication. The fundamental insights we gain can be leveraged to tackle obesity and chronic health issues.