Christian Kinney

Christian Kinney

Molecular Medicine

Area of Doctoral Study: Molecular Medicine
Undergraduate Institute: University of Georgia

Research Advisor: Robert Bloch, Ph.D.

Description of Research

I research the effects of a protein that binds T3 thyroid hormone and may play a role in metabolic disorders like diabetes and obesity. About 20% of people express high levels of this protein while most people express little to no protein. Transgenic mice that also express high levels of the protein preferentially use fat as an energy source as opposed to carbohydrates. It seems like the protein I study may be a novel regulator of metabolism with broad implications for metabolic disorders. Because of this our lab has filed several invention disclosures with our tech transfer office, UM Ventures, concerning the research I’ve conducted.