In her State of the School address last month, Dean Nancy Andrews, MD, PhD, called Matthew D. Hirschey, PhD, an expert in metabolism currently with the Gladstone Institutes at UCSF, a “rapidly rising star.”
Hirschey, who will join the Duke faculty May 1, is one of the first faculty recruits to be hired under a School of Medicine program that supports partnership hires of faculty members who bridge disciplines or fill interstices between disciplines. (Watch video of Dean Andrews discussing the program.)
In Hirschey’s case, he’ll straddle the Department of Medicine (his primary appointment, in the Division of Endocrinology), the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and the Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition & Metabolism Center.
“Matt is a wonderful addition to the Duke faculty and the Department of Medicine,” wrote Mary Klotman, MD, professor and Chair of Medicine, upon hearing he’d accepted the offer to come to Duke. “It will be exciting to watch him collaborate with other investigators in our department and across the School of Medicine to advance the field of metabolism.”
Hirschey investigates the biology of energy production and metabolism, exploring how humans and other organisms maintain and regulate energy balance. A user of social media, he posted this explanation of his research to his LinkedIn profile:
Hirschey, who will join the Duke faculty May 1, is one of the first faculty recruits to be hired under a School of Medicine program that supports partnership hires of faculty members who bridge disciplines or fill interstices between disciplines. (Watch video of Dean Andrews discussing the program.)
In Hirschey’s case, he’ll straddle the Department of Medicine (his primary appointment, in the Division of Endocrinology), the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and the Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition & Metabolism Center.
“Matt is a wonderful addition to the Duke faculty and the Department of Medicine,” wrote Mary Klotman, MD, professor and Chair of Medicine, upon hearing he’d accepted the offer to come to Duke. “It will be exciting to watch him collaborate with other investigators in our department and across the School of Medicine to advance the field of metabolism.”
Hirschey investigates the biology of energy production and metabolism, exploring how humans and other organisms maintain and regulate energy balance. A user of social media, he posted this explanation of his research to his LinkedIn profile:
A large number of mitochondrial proteins are subject to reversible lysine acetylation, suggesting that this modification plays a significant role in mitochondrial biology. Three distinct NAD+-dependent protein deacetylases, called SIRT3, 4 and 5, have been identified in mitochondria, and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, as well as aging. The primary focus of my work is to identify the physiological importance of SIRT3 in vivo, and to elucidate the complex regulatory role of acetylation in the mitochondria.Mitochondrial dysfunction is in vogue, he said, with current research exploring mitochondria’s role in Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic disease, cancer and even autism. “We can’t yet define mitochondrial dysfunction,” he said, “so we first must define its function, and then we’ll be able to explore how dysfunction leads to disease.” Hirschey’s research fits well in the systems biology and personalized medicine approaches, he said, referring to the 2009 paper, Metabolomics Applied to Diabetes Research Moving From Information to Knowledge, that was co-authored by Christopher Newgard, PhD, director of the Stedman Center and the W. David and Sarah W. Stedman Distinguished Professor in the Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and Medicine Departments. “Matt’s work coordinates beautifully with that being conducted by several Stedman/DOM faculty,” said Newgard, listing Deborah Muoio, James Bain, Robert Stevens, and his own lab, where they are trying to understand the precise metabolic mechanisms by which overnutrition and obesity lead to drastic alterations in mitochondrial metabolism. “Matt’s research on protein acetylation by SIRT3 and other enzymes will help us understand the molecular mechanisms leading to these abnormalities. Together our work can find new targets for diabetes therapy.” A self-proclaimed “endurance junkie” who runs ultramarathons, Hirschey was quick to check out the hiking and biking trails in the area. Watch for him to hit the ground running when he takes up residence at Duke.