Academic Title(s)

• Professor of Integrative Medical Sciences

Bio

John Chiang, Ph.D. is a Distinguished University Professor. His laboratory first purified CYP7A1, cloned the gene encoding CYP7A1, and identified the bile acid response elements on the CYP7A1 gene promoter. His original research lead to the identification of bile acid-activated nuclear receptor FXR. His current research projects are focused on the role of mechanism of FXR and bile acid-activated G protein-coupled bile acid receptor-1 (Gpbar1 aka TGR5) signaling crosstalk in regulation of bile acid, glucose, lipid and energy metabolism in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), obesity and diabetes, and therapeutic treatments. His research projects have been funded by two NIH R01 grants continuously for over 30 years. He was awarded a MERIT award from National Institute of Digestive, Diabetes, and Kidney diseases, NIH, in recognition of his long-term contribution and creativity and innovative research in bile acid metabolism.

Area of Expertise/Research Interests

Dr. Chiang’s laboratory generated Cyp7a1 transgenic mice, Cyp7a1 knockout mice in C57BL/6 genetic background, and Fxr and Tgr5 double knockout mouse models for study bile acid metabolism, liver fibrosis, fatty liver disease, diabetes and obesity. He is an editor of Hepatology, Hepatology Communications and Gene Expression, and Associate editor of Drug Metabolism Review and Liver Research. He has published over 170 manuscripts and 8 US patents. He has trained 15 Ph.D. students and 15 Postdocs.

Educational Background

• BS. Food Sciences (1969): National Chung-Shing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
• Ph.D. Chemistry (1976): State University of New York at Albany, NY.
• Postdoc (1976-1978), Biological Chemistry: University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI.
• Assistant Professor, NEOMED, 1978
• Associate Professor, NEOMED, 1983
• Professor, NEOMED, 1988-present
• Distinguished University Professor, NEOMED, 2013-present.
• Graduate faculty member, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Pharmacology Program Committees, Kent State University, 1978-present.

Courses

• Molecular Pathology, Molecules to Cells

Academic & Professional Activities

• Editorial Board, Hepatology, 2004-present
• Editorial Board, Hepatology Communications, 2017-present
• Associate Editor, Liver Research , 2016-present
• Editorial Board, Gene Expression, 2016 – present
• Charter member, Hepatobiliary Pathobiology Study Section, NIH, 2004-2008

Awards

• MERIT Award, NIDDK, NIH
• Life-time Achievement Award, NEOMED Alumni Association
• Liebelt/Wheeler Award for Faculty Excellence, 2014
• Faculty Research Award, NEOMED 2001

Distinctions

• Distinguished University Professor
• Fellow of American Association for Study of Liver Diseases

Presentations

• Bile acid synthesis in obesity. Obesity week 2018, Nashville, TN, Nov 11-15, 2018.
• Bile acid and gut microbiota in NAFLD. International Conference on Diabetes and Metabolism, Seoul, Korea, October 11-13, 2018.
• Bile acid signaling crosstalk in gut and liver metabolism and therapy. 40th Kern Lipid Conference, August 7-9, 2017, Vail, Co.
• Activation of intestinal FXR induces TGR5 expression and stimulates GLP-1 secretion to ameliorate metabolic disorders in diabetic mice. Falk Symposium 203, June 17-18, 2016, Dusseldorf, Germany.
• Circadian rhythm in bile acid metabolism and NAFLD. Circadian rhythm in GI Health and Diseases, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL. May 5-6, 2016.

PUBLICATIONS

• Pathak, P., Xie, C., Nichols, RG., Ferrell, MJ, Boehme, S., Krausz, K., Patterson, A., Gonzalez, FJ. and Chiang JY. Intestine farnesoid X receptor agonist shapes the gut microbiota to activate G-protein bile acid receptor-1 signaling to improve metabolism. Hepatology 2018, in press).
• Pathak, P., Liu, H., Boehme, S., Xie, C., Krausz, K. W., Gonzalez, F., and Chiang, JY. Farnesoid X Receptor and Takeda G-protein receptor 5 Crosstalk to Regulate Bile Acid Synthesis and Hepatic Metabolism. J Biol. Chem. 2017; 292: 11055-11069.
• Ferrell, J. M., Boehme, S., Li, Feng, and Chiang, JY. Cholesterol 7α –hydroxylase-deficient mice are protected from high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-induced metabolic disorders. J Lipid Res., 2106; 57: 1144-1154.
• Li, T., Owsley, E., Matozel, M., Hsu, P., Novak, C. M., and Chiang, JYL. Transgenic expression of CYP7A1 in the liver prevents high fat diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice. Hepatology 52:678-690, 2010. PMID: 20623580.
• Chiang, JYL. Bile acids: Regulation of Synthesis. J Lipid Res. 50:1955-1965, 2009.PMID: 19346330.