Montgomery laboratory: Metabolic Tissue Cross-Talk
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Head of Laboratory
Dr Magdalene Montgomerymagdalene.montgomery@unimelb.edu.au
+61 422 059 907
Research Overview
View Dr Montgomery's latest PubMed publications listing here
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major global health challenge and a major cause of heart attacks, stroke, blindness, and kidney failure. The number of individuals with diabetes has risen from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. In addition, T2D is closely linked with liver steatosis and fibrosis. The research focus of our group is to understand the mechanisms underlying the development of hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance, with a specific interest in inter-tissue communications.
Our research focuses on understanding how the protein secretome in metabolic tissues changes in states of energy excess and/or disturbed metabolism, with the purpose of exploiting this natural biology for therapeutic gain.
Specific research projects are:
1. Assessment of liver-secreted factors in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and their effects on glycaemic control.
2.The heart as a central player in tissue cross-talk - Assessment of heart-secreted factors and their effects on heart function and systemic metabolism.
3. Regulation of lipid metabolism, with a focus on beta-adrenergic signalling in adipose tissue.
4. Assessment of the therapeutic utility of NAFLD-regulated hepatokines using protein and gene therapy approaches in mouse models of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Staff
Students
Hamzeh Karimkhanloo, PhD
Will De Nardo, PhD
Camille Devereux, Honours
Amanuiel Taddese, Honours
Collaborators
Dr James Bell, University of Melbourne
Dr Kevin Watt, University of Melbourne
Prof Paul Gleeson, University of Melbourne
Prof Nigel Turner, UNSW
Prof Trevor Biden, Garvan Institute, Sydney
Prof Stephen Ting, Monash University
Prof Anthony Don, University of Sydney
Prof Todd Mitchell, University of Wollongong
Funding
2019-2022 NHMRC Project Grant. Discovery and validation of biomarkers for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis. Awarded $772,521.
2018-2022 NHMRC Career Development Fellowship. Understanding mediators of metabolic disease. Awarded $431,000.