Karen Houseknecht part of research team to win $11 million grant to study metabolic diseases

Karen Houseknecht

Karen Houseknecht, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology in the 91AV College of Osteopathic Medicine and interim dean of the College of Pharmacy, is part of a research team at Maine Medical Center Research Institute (MMCRI) that was awarded an $11 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

The Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) award titled, “Mesenchymal and Neural Regulation of Metabolic Networks,” will fund research projects for four young investigators examining various aspects of metabolic disease. Houseknecht, who has extensive research experience in the area of endocrinology and metabolism, will serve as a technical and strategic advisor on the COBRE’s steering committee. She will also act as faculty mentor to two of the investigators, Katherine Motyl, Ph.D., and Christine Duarte, Ph.D., and will be a research collaborator on projects led by Motyl and Aaron Brown, Ph.D.

      

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About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.