Janet L Funk

Photo of Janet L Funk

Janet L Funk

Professor, Medicine
Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Professor, Cancer Biology - GIDP
Professor, Physiological Sciences - GIDP
Clinical Instructor, Pharmacy Practice-Science
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
Medicine
Department Affiliations
Medicine
BIO5 Institute
Contact
(520) 626-3242
jfunk@arizona.edu

Work Summary

Janet Funk's work includes a focus on metastatic breast cancer that spans the research spectrum from bench to bedside, translational arthritis studies of the pharmacokinetics and safety of turmeric, and collaborative endocrinological studies evaluating the effects of obesity and insulin resistance on bone development in Hispanic girls, as well as effects of obesity on breast cancer risk in older women.

Research Interest

Janet L. Funk, MD, FACP, is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Dr. Funk leads a federally-funded research team that is focused on identifying new treatments for chronic diseases that have strong inflammatory components, including metabolic bone diseases, such as arthritis, bone tumors and osteoporosis, and cardiovascular diseases, including diabetes. Recent studies have focused on the use of medicinal plants that have historically been used to treat inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis. By understanding whether and how these plants work in blocking inflammatory pathways in the body, we are striving to harness the power of nature and the wisdom of our ancestors to indentify new treatments for diseases that are common in our modern society. Discoveries we have made at the lab bench have allowed us to move forward into the clinics, building upon the old to discover the new.

Publications

Funk, J. L., Chen, J., Downey, K. J., & Clark, R. A. (2008). Bone protective effect of simvastatin in experimental arthritis. The Journal of rheumatology, 35(6), 1083-91.

Emerging evidence suggests that clinically important antiinflammatory effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibition may extend beyond cardiovascular disease to other inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Protective bone-specific anabolic and antiresorptive effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors have also been evaluated in normal and osteoporotic bone. The specific effect of statins on inflammation-induced bone loss has not previously been a focus of evaluation. We investigated whether simvastatin, a potent HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, alters bone turnover in an animal model of RA, thus preventing periarticular bone loss.

Ritter, L., Davidson, L., Henry, M., Davis-Gorman, G., Morrison, H., Frye, J. B., Cohen, Z., Chandler, S., McDonagh, P., & Funk, J. L. (2011). Exaggerated neutrophil-mediated reperfusion injury after ischemic stroke in a rodent model of type 2 diabetes. Microcirculation (New York, N.Y. : 1994), 18(7), 552-61.

We tested the hypothesis that both chronic and acute inflammatory processes contribute to worse reperfusion injury and stroke outcome in an experimental model of T2DM.

Funk, J. L., & Timmermann, B. N. (2006). Translational investigation of turmeric for arthritis treatment: a review of lessons learned.. Natural Product Communication, 1, 1061-1066.
Funk, J. L. (2018). Drug-induced autoimmune hepatitis associated with turmeric dietary supplement use. BMJ Case Reports.
Funk, J. L. (2018). Natural Product Dietary Supplement Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review.. Arth Care and Res.

Find Us On

youtube

Stay Connected

Subscribe to our newsletter