Danny Chou
Associate Professor, Stanford University
Insulin Receptor Antagonists For Treating Hyperinsulinism
Abstract
The area of insulin receptor (IR) antagonism represents a significant but largely untapped research field with a promising potential for advancing our understanding of insulin signaling, and consequently, driving the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for metabolic disorders. Despite the numerous studies on insulin analogs with agonistic properties—owing to their critical role in diabetes treatment—the investigations into IR antagonists are sparse. Our recent discovery of an antagonistic insulin derivative represents a promising starting point for developing new IR antagonists using structure-based designs. Using this strategy, we have been able to identify potent IR antagonists, which have been demonstrated to restore normoglycemia in disease models of hyperinsulinism.
Bio
Danny Chou is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Endocrinology and Diabetes) at Stanford University. He received his PhD from Harvard University, working in the lab of Prof. Stuart Schreiber. His Ph.D. research involved the identification of suppressors of cytokine-induced apoptosis in pancreatic beta cells. He then moved to MIT, where he was a JDRF Postdoctoral Fellow in Department of Chemical Engineering. He worked under the guidance of Profs. Robert Langer and Daniel Anderson, focusing on the development of glucose-responsive insulin derivatives. Danny started his independent career in Department of Biochemistry at University of Utah in August, 2014. At Utah, Danny's research focused on protein and peptide therapeutics for the treatment in Type 1 Diabetes and other human diseases. In 2020, Danny moved his research lab to Stanford University to continue their efforts in developing novel insulin therapeutics. His laboratory has received funding support from NIH, DoD, JDRF and American Diabetes Association. Danny has received recognitions including an American Peptide Society Early Career Lectureship, Boulder Peptide Society Young Investigator Award, JDRF Career Development Award, Vertex Scholar, JDRF Postdoctoral Fellow and ADA Junior Faculty Award.