Department of Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology

The Department of Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology is pioneering efforts to investigate biological mechanisms involved with the development of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and obesity — and ways to treat them. Our findings may lead to therapies that reverse or prevent diabetes and obesity, as well as tools for early detection.

The department was established in 2015 by founding chair Debbie C. Thurmond, Ph.D., Chan Soon-Shiong Shapiro Distinguished Chair in Diabetes and director of the Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute. Since March 2023, the department has been chaired by Adolfo Garcia-Ocana, Ph.D., Ruth B. & Robert K. Lanman Endowed Chair in Gene Regulation & Drug Discovery Research.

Operating within the Riggs Institute at City of Hope, our multidisciplinary team incorporates expertise in molecular and cellular biology, physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology. Our scientists have received grant support from the National Institutes of Health, JDRF, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association. As a hub for research, we also are proudly funded by The Wanek Family Project for Type 1 Diabetes at City of Hope.

We research the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes by exploring the communication between organs—down to the molecular level. By developing ways to foster healthy insulin production, our studies hold promise for fighting type 1 diabetes as well. Because diabetes and obesity share common mechanisms that are involved in certain malignancies, some of our work also has implications for combatting cancer.

One of our key priorities is to bridge the gap between the laboratory to translational research. Collaboration is key for us — within the department, within the Riggs Institute and within City of Hope, as well as with colleagues at other academic medical centers.

A key enabling factor for our team-based strategy is our physical environment. All faculty work in open-lab configurations within the Leslie & Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Diabetes & Genetic Research Center, making it easy to consult and connect. And our alliance with our neighbors in City of Hope’s Islet Cell Transplantation Program create special opportunities for our discoveries to improve the health of diabetes patients faster.

About the Comprehensive Metabolic Phenotyping Core

The Comprehensive Metabolic Phenotyping Core serves investigators studying metabolism across a wide range of contexts including diabetes and cancer. We offer the equipment and expertise to perform any phenotyping test. This includes an assay for in vivo beta cell function that cannot be found anywhere else on the West Coast.

Equally important to our comprehensive menu of services is our experience. The core’s knowledgeable, highly trained staff runs tests, returns data, provides interpretations and consults on experimental design.

Rigor is a primary value at the core. We use standardized techniques for measurement that cut out confounding factors, ensuring that normal processes in the body do not skew results.

That slate of techniques includes a refinement of the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp that was developed by the core’s founding director, Patrick Fueger, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Molecular & Cellular Metabolism. This method has become the gold standard in metabolic phenotyping.

Learn more about the Comprehensive Metabolic Phenotyping Core.

Faculty

Patrick Fueger, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology

Patrick Fueger is an Associate Professor, Department of Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology.

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Adolfo Garcia-Ocaña, Ph.D.

Chair, Department of Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology, Ruth B. & Robert K. Lanman Endowed Chair in Gene Regulation & Drug Discovery Research

Chair, Department of Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology; Ruth B. and Robert K. Lanman Endowed Chair in Gene Regulation and Drug Discovery Research

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Debbie C. Thurmond, Ph.D.

Director, Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute, Chan Soon-Shiong Shapiro Distinguished Chair in Diabetes

Debbie C. Thurmond, Ph.D., is director of the Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute at City of Hope and chair and professor in the Department of Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology.

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Qiong (Annabel) Wang, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology

Qiong (Annabel) Wang, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology.

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Contact Us

Adolfo Garcia-Ocana, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
Arthur-Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute
Ruth B. & Robert K. Lanman Chair in Gene Regulation and Drug Discovery Research
626-218-7939

Juan Avalos
Senior Administrative Assistant
Department of Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute
[email protected]
626-218-4541