Patrick Tso
Department of Pathology, Genome Research Institute
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, USA
Patrick Tso, PhD, has contributed significantly to understanding intestinal lipid metabolism and diet-induced obesity. Recruited to UC in 1996, Patrick Tso and colleague David Hui, PhD, have built an outstanding Lipid Research Group, recognized for its excellence by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through awarding of a program project grant.
Together with Stephen Woods, PhD, and Randy Seeley, PhD, Dr. Tso played an important role in establishing the Cincinnati Obesity Research Center, which was initially supported by Procter & Gamble and by an NIH program project grant. Dr. Tso was also responsible for assembling the investigative team associated with the NIH-supported Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center, now in its tenth year of existence.
In November 2008, Dr. Tso took on leadership of the Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP). The PSTP program enjoys success through awards students have acquired and awarding three additional yearly slots for two years from the NIH.
One of our research goals is to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms and factors regulating intestinal lipid absorption and the assembly and secretion of chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins by the small intestine. The techniques we employ consist of conscious intestinal lymph fistula rats, lymph fistula mouse, intestinal epithelial cell culture, and also molecular biology. We are currently studying how bile salts are involved in the absorption of lipids. In addition, we are also studying the factors regulating the synthesis and secretion of apolipoproteins by the small intestine. The apolipoproteins we are studying are: apo AI, apo AIV, apo B, and apo CIII.
