Research Seminar: “Mechanisms of Cachexia in Chronic Disease”

Speaker: Daniel L. Marks MD, PhD, Professor, Pediatrics, Credit Unions for Kids, Professor of Pediatric Research, Director of Fellowship Research, Co-Director OHSU MD PhD Program, Oregon Health & Science University

Talk Summary: Cachexia is a devastating syndrome with cardinal symptoms that include wasting, anorexia, and fatigue. Cachexia is common in chronic disease and contributes to reduced survival and quality of life. There are currently no effective treatments for cachexia. There is growing evidence that cachexia is centrally mediated through the actions of inflammatory cytokines on the brain. Our lab demonstrated that hypothalamic inflammation is a critical driver of the metabolic and behavioral features of cachexia. This talk describes novel signaling pathways between the periphery and the hypothalamus in murine models of cachexia with emphasis on hypothalamic inflammation and CNS leukocyte recruitment.

About the Speaker: Daniel L. Marks M.D., Ph.D. received medical and graduate training at the University of Washington, then completed his pediatric residency at the University of Utah, and a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at OHSU.  He is currently Professor in Pediatric Endocrinology, Credit Unions for Kids Chair in Pediatric Research, and Co-Director of the OHSU MD PhD program. His work is focused on the neuroendocrine control of body weight.  He has a particular interest in pediatric weight regulation, including obesity, failure to thrive, and disease-associated cachexia. Dr. Marks also serves as a Senior Scientific Advisor for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

RSVP is Required to tecpad@chla.usc.edu