Fatiha Nassir, PhD

University of Missouri – Columbia (MU)

Dr. Nassir’s research interest is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms implicated in the development and the rescue of metabolic diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). She has expertise in investigating fat absorption in the intestine, cellular fatty acid uptake, oxidation of fat in the mitochondria, and the assembly and secretion of fat as lipoproteins in the blood. She also has expertise in metabolic studies both in vivo and in vitro using immortalized cell lines as well as primary isolated cells (hepatocytes, enterocytes). Dr. Nassir believes that an integrated understanding of these pathways will lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets for metabolic diseases. Her current interest focuses on sirtuins as modulators of metabolic diseases. The goal is to translate the findings in animal and cell models to humans where obesity and excess nutrients cause cellular stress and metabolic diseases such as NAFLD, insulin resistance, and diabetes.