Adolfo Garcia-Ocaña, Ph.D.
Location
Duarte Cancer Center
Duarte, CA 91010
Education & Experience
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1995-1996, Master’s in Computing Analysis and Programing: Methodology, Structured Analysis, Operative Systems and Programming Languages. Tajamar Innovative Technologies Institute, Madrid, Spain
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1994, Ph.D., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universidad Autonoma of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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1989-1994, Ph.D. Student, Metabolic Research Lab, Jimenez Diaz Hospital, Universidad Autonoma of Madrid, Madrid, Spain, and, Department of Renal Physiology, Faculté de Medecine Xavier Bichat, Université Paris VII, Paris, France
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1982-1987, B.S., Universidad Autonoma of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- 1996-1998, Postdoctoral Fellowship, Division of Endocrinology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- 1996-1998, Postdoctoral Fellowship, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Brussels, Belgium
- 1995-1996, Fellowship, Alfonso Martin Escudero Foundation, Madrid, Spain, Master’s in Computing Analysis and Programming
- 1994-1996, Postdoctoral Fellowship, Metabolic Research Lab, Jimenez Diaz Hospital, Universidad Autonoma of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- 1993-1994, Research Fellowship for Studies Abroad, Jimenez Diaz Foundation, Universidad Autonoma of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. Host Academic Institution: Unité de Recherche Inserm 251 "Physiologie du tube rénal", Bichat Hospital, Paris VII University, Paris, France
- 1989-1992, Graduate Student Research Fellowship, Jimenez Diaz Foundation, Universidad Autonoma of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- 2023-present, Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology, and Ruth B. and Robert K. Lanman Chair in Gene Regulation & Drug Discovery Research, City of Hope, Duarte, California
- 2015-2023, Director, Human Islet & Adenovirus Core, Einstein-Sinai Diabetes Research Center, Bronx, New York
- 2012-2023, Professor of Medicine, Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Hess Center for Science and Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
- 2012-2023, Professor of Medicine with Tenure, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, Mount Sinai Clinical Diabetes Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
- 2007-2012, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology, Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 2007-2012, Associate Professor of Medicine with Tenure, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 2003-2007, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology, Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 2001-2007, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 1998-2001, Research Associate, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Research
Conventional treatment diabetes often relies on insulin injections. Unfortunately, hypo-glycemia (abnormally low blood sugar) and hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) may frequently occur and result in severe secondary complications. Diabetes is associated with progressive loss of functional pancreatic beta cells. In autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D), immune self-tolerance is lost leading to the destruction of pancreatic beta cells. Therapies that simultaneously enhance immune tolerance and pancreatic beta cell regeneration and protection could provide a more effective approach for treating T1D.
The pancreatic beta cell adapts to overnutrition by increasing its mass and function. This adaptation is driven by signals derived from nutrient metabolism, growth factors and hormones. Failure to expand in response to metabolic stress leads results in beta cell dysfunction, de-differentiation, death, and development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate these cellular processes is critical to the development of new T2D treatments.
The research in the lab focuses on developing innovative and effective therapies to enhance pancreatic beta cell preservation, pancreatic beta cell function, immune tolerance, and pancreatic beta cell regeneration to manage and treat diabetes.
Awards & Memberships
Awards
- 2022, World expert on insulin-producing cells (currently No. 41 out of 31,022 researchers publishing on this research topic worldwide)
- 2017, Distinguished Reviewer Award for the American Diabetes Associations’ Scholarly Journals
- 2015, Best Mentor Award, Center for Excellence in Youth Education at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
- 2012, Tenure, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
- 2009, Tenure, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 2004, Senior Vice Chancellor’s Research Conference Award at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 2002, Junior Faculty Award, American Diabetes Association
- 1997, FAES Award on Mineral Metabolic Research, Spanish Society of Bone and Mineral Research
- 1994, Thesis Dissertation: Summa Cum Laude
- 1991, Young Investigator Award, European Renal Association-Dialysis and Transplant Association
Memberships
- 2013, Member of the Boston-Ithaca Islet Club
- 2010, Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science
- 2010-2012 Member of the Midwest Islet Club
- 1999, Member, American Diabetes Association
- 1997, Member, American Physiological Society
- 1997, Member, The Endocrine Society
Publications
- Kang R, Li Y, Rosselot C, Zhang T, Siddiq MM, Rajbhandari P, Stewart AK, Scott DK, Garcia-Ocaña A, Lu G. (2022). Single Nucleus RNA Sequencing of Human Pancreatic Islets In Vitro and In Vivo Identifies New Gene Sets and Three β-Cell Subpopulations with Different Transcriptional Profile. BioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory).
- Katz LS, Brill G, Zhang P, Kumar A, Baumel-Alterzon S, Honig LB, Gómez-Banoy N, Karakose E, Tanase M, Doridot L, Alvarsson A, Davenport B, Wang P, Lambertini L, Stanley S, Homann D, Stewart AK, Lo JT, Herman MA, . . . Scott DK. (2022). Maladaptive positive feedback production of ChREBPβ underlies glucotoxic β-cell failure. Nature Communications, 13(1).
- Patel R, Parmar N, Rathwa N, Palit SP, Li Y, Garcia-Ocaña A, Begum R. (2022). A novel therapeutic combination of sitagliptin and melatonin regenerates pancreatic β-cells in mouse and human islets. Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular cell research, 1869(8), 119263.
- Baumel-Alterzon S, Katz LS, Brill G, Jean-Pierre C, Li Y, Tse I, Biswal S, Garcia-Ocaña A, Scott DK. (2022). Nrf2 Regulates β-Cell Mass by Suppressing β-Cell Death and Promoting β-Cell Proliferation. Diabetes, 71(5), 989–1011.
- Wang P, Karakose E, Choleva L, Kumar K, DeVita RJ, Garcia-Ocaña A, Stewart AF. (2021). Human Beta Cell Regenerative Drug Therapy for Diabetes: Past Achievements and Future Challenges. Frontiers in endocrinology, 12, 671946.
- Kumar K, Suebsuwong C, Wang P, Garcia-Ocana A, Stewart AF, DeVita RJ. (2021). DYRK1A Inhibitors as Potential Therapeutics for β-Cell Regeneration for Diabetes. Journal of medicinal chemistry, 64(6), 2901–2922.
- Saikia M, Holter MM, Donahue LR, Lee IS, Zheng QC, Wise JL, Todero JE, Phuong DJ, Garibay D, Coch R, Sloop KW, Garcia-Ocana A, Danko CG, Cummings BP. (2021). GLP-1 receptor signaling increases PCSK1 and β cell features in human α cells. JCI insight, 6(3), e141851.
- Baumel-Alterzon S, Katz LS, Brill G, Garcia-Ocaña A, Scott DK. (2021). Nrf2: The Master and Captain of Beta Cell Fate. Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM, 32(1), 7–19.
- Rosselot C, Baumel-Alterzon S, Li Y, Brill G, Lambertini L, Katz LS, Lu G, Garcia-Ocaña A, Scott DK. (2021). The many lives of Myc in the pancreatic β-cell. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 296, 100122.
- Alvarsson A, Jimenez-Gonzalez M, Li R, Rosselot C, Tzavaras N, Wu Z, Stewart AF, Garcia-Ocaña A, Stanley SA. (2020). A 3D atlas of the dynamic and regional variation of pancreatic innervation in diabetes. Science advances, 6(41), eaaz9124.