龚大为
Da-Wei Gong, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Education and Training
Suzhou University School of Medicine, Bechelar of Medicine, 1982
Zhejing University School of Medicine, Pharmacology, MS, 1985
Shanghai University School of Medicine, Neurobiology, PhD, 1990
Postdoctoral Training, Keio University, Japan; National Institute of Health
Biosketch
Dr. Gong has a broad interest in the molecular and cellular mechanisms of endocrine and metabolism diseases. His research interest is in obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Gong’s team is known for its original discovery of new adipokines, omentin and serum amyloid A (SAA), in human adipose tissue and alanine transaminase 2 (ALT2), which is not only a key enzyme in gluconeogenesis and but also potentially a new serum marker for liver damage.
Stem cell research is Dr. Gong’s long-standing research interest. His team has been taking approaches of cell reprogramming and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to derive clinically-relevant types of cells, such as brown and white adipocytes, hepatocytes, neurons, and pancreatic beta-cells, for disease modeling, mechanistic study and cell-based therapy in vitro and in vivo. His research has been supported by grants from NIH and Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund.
Potential therapeutic application of Elabela/Toddler, a new peptide ligand for apelin receptor, is Dr. Gong’s new research focus. Activation of apelinergic signaling has been considered a therapeutic approach of heart failure and diabetes. Dr. Gong’s team is studying Elabela biology and developing Elabela fusion proteins into biologics.
