Nutritional Sciences

Kenneth Wilund

Director, School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Professor, Nutritional Sciences and Wellness
Primary Department
Contact
520-621-1186

Work Summary

Professor Wilund is the new Director of the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness at the University of Arizona. Prior to coming to Arizona, he was a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for 19 years. His education and training includes a B.S. degree in Nutritional Sciences and a PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland. He also completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The focus of Professor Wilund’s research is examining the effects of exercise training and nutritional factors on cardiovascular health and muscle wasting in in patients with kidney failure.

Research Interest

Dr. Wilund’s research is focused on developing novel strategies to improve the health and quality of life of patients with kidney failure undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (HD) therapy. HD patients suffer from a myriad of co-morbidities that adversely impact their health and quality of life. While pharmacological therapies are often prioritized in their care, exercise and nutrition-related strategies receive less emphasis, despite tremendous potential benefits. He has developed two parallel lines of research that aim to: A) develop strategies for getting patients with chronic kidney disease more physically active; and B) reducing chronic volume overload in HD patients. These are two of the most challenging and clinically significant problems in Nephrology. Dr. Wilund recently founded two research-related entities to help facilitate this work: 1) The Global Renal Exercise (GREX) Network; and 2) The Kidney Wellness Institute of Illinois (KIWII). The purpose of both of these groups is to improve the research base and implementation of lifestyle-related therapies across the spectrum of chronic kidney disease.

Ashley J Snider

Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Associate Professor, Cancer Biology - GIDP
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 621-8093

Work Summary

Our laboratory focuses on the role and regulation of sphingolipids and their metabolizing enzymes in the pathobiology of inflammation. Specifically, our interests are in gastrointestinal inflammation and inflammatory bowel disease. We employ both in vitro and in vivo model systems to examine the role of dietary modulation on sphingolipid metabolism and inflammation. In our pursuits, we utilize cell lines, intestinal organoids, in vivo models, and biobanked samples from patients with IBD and colorectal cancer to determine the effects of high fat diets and dietary fatty acids on sphingolipid metabolism and intestinal pathobiology. Moreover, we utilize unbiased “Omics” approaches in our research efforts, specifically lipidomics, proteomics and phospho-proteomics, in order to define novel mechanisms, interventions, therapeutic targets and biomarkers for intestinal pathobiologies.

Research Interest

EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL TRAINING • Post-Doctoral Training, Sphingolipids and Animal Models of Disease, Medical University of South Carolina • Ph.D., Pharmacology and Toxicology, Washington State University • B.S., Marine Biology, University of North Carolina at Wilmington RESEARCH & INTERESTS The long-term research goals of the Snider lab are to define the roles of lipid metabolic pathways centered on bioactive sphingolipids in intestinal biology and pathobiology and determine the mechanisms involved. Sphingolipids, long thought to be only structural components of cell membranes, have emerged over the last two decades as bioactive lipids with distinct and important biological functions. Dietary fatty acids are incorporated into ceramide, the central lipid in sphingolipid metabolism, via de novo synthesis and via incorporation by enzymes called ceramide synthases (CerS). Ceramide in turn serves as a metabolic hub for the synthesis of several classes of sphingolipids. These bioactive lipids are involved in diverse cellular and biologic functions including insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, inflammation and cancer. The Snider lab has demonstrated the importance of several sphingolipids and their metabolic enzymes as key regulators in inflammatory bowel disease, as well as colon cancer and colitis-associated colon cancer. The Snider lab has recently begun demonstrating that specific dietary fatty acids increase specific sphingolipids leading to in the intestinal epithelium in cells and in vivo. Current research in the Snider lab focus builds on this foundation. The three main projects in the lab examine: 1) Effects of dietary fatty acids on sphingolipid metabolism in ER stress and inflammation. 2) Roles of dietary fatty acids and sphingolipids in animal models of inflammation and colitis-associated cancer. 3) Roles for sphingolipids and their metabolizing enzymes in intestinal biology and pathobiology. In these pursuits, the Snider lab utilizes cell lines, intestinal organoids (murine and human), in vivo models, and biobanked samples from patients with inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer to determine the effects of high fat diets and dietary fatty acids on sphingolipid metabolism and intestinal pathobiology. Moreover, the use of unbiased “Omics” approaches in their research efforts, specifically lipidomics, proteomics and phospho-proteomics, is beginning to enable the discovery of novel mechanisms, interventions, therapeutic targets and biomarkers for intestinal pathobiologies.

Richard Simpson

Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Associate Professor, Immunobiology
Associate Professor, Pediatrics
Associate Professor, Cancer Biology - GIDP
Associate Professor, Physiological Sciences - GIDP
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 621-3096

Research Interest

I am an Associate Professor in the department of Nutritional Sciences (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) at the University of Arizona and hold joint appointments in Pediatrics (College of Medicine) and Immunobiology (College of Medicine). I am also part of the mentoring team for the Physiological Sciences and Cancer Biology Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs, which recruit students who are continuing in education. My research interests are concerned with the effects of aging, stress and exercise on the immune system, and the role of adrenergic receptor signaling on immune cell redistribution and activation. Major focus areas include understanding (1) how exercise and other behavioral interventions can offset age-related decrements in the normal functioning of the immune system (immunosenescence), (2) how adrenergic receptor signaling can be used to improve cellular products for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and immunotherapy, (3) the interplay between the immune and neuroendocrine system during high level human performance and extreme isolation (i.e. space travel), and (3) how persistent virus infections such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) can alter the phenotype and function of T-cells and NK-cells to protect the host from certain hematological malignancies. My current research is supported by NASA, the NIH (National Cancer Institute) and industry. I am a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and an honorary board member of the International Society of Exercise Immunology (ISEI). I am an active member of the Pychoneuroimmunology Research Society (PNIRS) and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and sit on the editorial board of the following scientific journals: Brain, Behavior and Immunity; Exercise Immunology Reviews (Associate Editor); Immunity and Ageing; American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

Floyd Chilton

Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Associate Director, BIO5 Institute
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Professor, Cancer Biology - GIDP
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 621-5327

Research Interest

Dr. Chilton is passionate about providing solutions to overcome physical and emotional suffering so that people can live better, more joyful lives. He is a successful innovator in a wide range of areas including an academic professor (with over 130 scientific publications), an entrepreneur (starting several companies and one non-profit organization), and an inventor (holding over 25 patents). Dr. Chilton is widely recognized in academia and industry for his work on nutrition in the context of variation in the human genome and has been a pioneer in the areas of personalized or precision nutrition and wellness. Dr. Chilton has over 30 years of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health. Specifically, Dr. Chilton’s work has examines how genetic and epigenetic variations interact with human diets (especially the modern Western diet) to drive inflammation and inflammatory disorders (including cardiovascular disease and cancer), as well as psychiatric/developmental disorders (ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and depression). These precision-, individualized- and population-based nutrition research approaches provide a wide range of opportunities to benefit humans that include: 1) providing long-sought pathogenetic mechanism(s) that underscores the different biologic behavior of inflammatory diseases in distinct racial/ethnic populations; 2) discovering new biomarkers of disease aggressiveness for early diagnostic and therapeutic intervention; 3) revealing new therapeutic strategies to affect disease aggressiveness using precision gene-based dietary and/or pharmacologic interventions; and 4) creating therapeutic foods that optimize immune system and brain development for different populations around the world.

Jennifer A Teske

Associate Professor
Associate Professor, Neuroscience - GIDP
Associate Professor, Physiological Sciences - GIDP
Member of the General Faculty
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 621-3081

Research Interest

Dr. Jennifer Teske, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. Her primary research interest is the study of the metabolic consequences of environmental noise stress as it relates to the whole-organism stress response and human health.

Ornella Selmin

Associate, Center for Toxicology
Research Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 626-6087

Research Interest

Dr. Ornella Selmin Ph.D., is a Research Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences, Associate of the Arizona Center for Toxicology. She also holds joint appointments as Member of the Center for Toxicology, The Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC), and The Sarver Heart Center at the University of Arizona. She received her B.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Padua, Italy, and has developed a successful research program that has been continuously funded by grants from the National Institute of Health, the US Department of Defense, and the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission. Dr. Selmin’s research program focuses on mechanisms of environmental carcinogenesis and toxicity; specifically including mechanisms of regulation of expression of proinflammatory and tumor suppressor genes by environmental xenobiotics, mechanisms of epigenetic regulation in breast and colon cancer, and role of diet-nuclear receptor interactions in differentiation and development. Dr. Selmin has served as a scientific reviewer for the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation, The Arizona Biomedical Research Commission, and other national funding agencies.

Donato Romagnolo

Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Associate, Center for Toxicology
Professor, Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Professor, Cancer Biology - GIDP
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 626-9108

Research Interest

Donato Romagnolo, MSc, PhD, has served as a member of study sections for the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and as a scientific reviewer for nutritional, cancer, and pharmacology and toxicology scientific journals. Dr. Romagnolo is a member of the Training Grant in Cancer Biology at the University of Arizona. Dr. Romagnolo's research focuses on: 1) mechanisms of epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes by environmental and dietary xenobiotics, and 2) role of dietary bioactive food components in the etiology and prevention of cancer and inflammation. For the last 14 years, Dr. Romagnolo's research has been funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Army Department of Defense, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission.Some of his research reveals humans are exposed to a complex mixture of ligands of the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Prototypical AhR agonists include the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), and the dioxin-like compound 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzene(p)dioxin (TCDD). Increased incidence of breast cancer is documented in human populations of industrialized areas where high levels of dioxins are found in the air, soil, drinking water, and cow milk. Unlike PAH, TCDD is not metabolized and it promotes tumor development. Population studies reported the presence of TCDD in breast milk, suggesting this agent may accumulate in breast tissue and be a potential risk factor in mammary neoplasia. The in-utero activation of the AhR with TCDD increased the susceptibility to mammary carcinogens in rat female offspring. The activation of the AhR pathway may increase the susceptibility to breast cancer through epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes, including p16 and p53, while inducing transcription of the proinflammatory COX-2 gene.

Kirsten H Limesand

Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Professor, Cancer Biology - GIDP
Professor, Physiological Sciences - GIDP
Assistant Dean, Graduate Education
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 626-4517

Work Summary

Kirsten Limesand's research program has its foundation in radiation-induced salivary gland dysfunction; mechanisms of damage, clinical prevention measures, and restoration therapies. They utilize a number of techniques including: genetically engineered mouse models, real-time RT/PCR, immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, primary cultures, siRNA transfections, and procedures to quantitate salivary gland physiology and integrate this information in order to understand the complete system.

Research Interest

Public Relevance Statement: Can you imagine having a mouthful of canker sores and cavities? Thousands of head and neck cancer patients suffer these consequences from radiation treatment. The Limesand lab works to prevent these side effects thereby improving patients' quality of life. Clinical Relevance: Radiation therapy for head and neck cancer causes adverse secondary side effects in the normal salivary gland including xerostomia, oral mucositis, malnutrition, and increase oral infections. Although improvements have been made in targeting radiation treatment to the tumor, the salivary glands are often in close proximity to the treatment site. The significant destruction of the oral cavity following radiation therapy results in diminished quality of life and in some cases interruptions in cancer treatment schedules. Research Interests: My research program has its foundation in radiation-induced gland dysfunction; mechanisms of damage, clinical prevention measures, and restoration therapies. Evidence suggests that salivary acinar function is compromised due to apoptosis induced by these treatments and temporary suppression of apoptotic events in salivary glands would have significant benefits to oral health. We utilize a number of techniques in my laboratory including: genetically engineered mouse models, real-time RT/PCR, immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, primary cultures, siRNA transfections, irradiation, and procedures to quantitate salivary gland physiology. Current project areas: 1. Radiation-induced apoptosis 2. Mechanisms of preserving salivary gland function 3. Identifying the radiosensitivity of salivary gland progenitor cells 4. Restoration of salivary gland function 5. Role of autophagy in radiation-induced loss of function

Melanie D Hingle

Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Associate Professor, Public Health
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Associate Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 621-3087

Work Summary

Melanie Hingle's work focuses on understanding determinants of energy balance behaviors (i.e. how and why behaviors are initiated and sustained), and identifying contributors to the success of interventions (i.e. when, where, and how interventions should be delivered) are critical steps toward developing programs that effectively change behavior, thereby mitigating unhealthy weight gain and promoting optimal health. Current projects include: Determinants of metabolic risk, and amelioration of risk, in pediatric cancer survivors, Guided imagery intervention delivered via a mobile software application to increase healthy eating and physical activity in weight-concerned women smokers, and Family-focused diabetes prevention program delivered in partnership with the YMCA.

Research Interest

Identify and understand determinants of behavioral, weight-related, and metabolic outcomes in children, adolescents, and families, including how and why so-called “obesogenic behaviors” (unhealthy dietary habits, sedentary behaviors) are initiated and sustained. Develop and test novel approaches to motivate healthy lifestyle changes in children, adolescents, and families, including development, testing, and assessment of face-to-face and mobile device-based interventions.

Scott B Going

Director, School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness
Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Professor, Public Health
Professor, Physiology
Professor, Physiological Sciences - GIDP
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 626-3432

Work Summary

Scott Going is an expert in models and methods for assessment of changes in body composition during growth, and with aging, and is currently investigating the effects of chronic exercise versus hormone replacement therapy on bone, soft tissue composition and muscle strength in postmenopausal women, as well as the role of exercise in obesity prevention in children.

Research Interest

Current projects include:The Bone, Estrogen and Strength Training (BEST) study, a randomized prospective study of the effects of hormone replacement therapy on bone mineral density, soft tissue composition, and muscle strength in postmenopausal women (National Institutes of Health). The Profile-based Internet-linked Obesity Treatment study (PILOT), a randomized study of internet support for weight maintenance after weight loss in peri-menopausal women (National Institutes of Health). The Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) study, a multi-center, school-based activity trial designed to prevent the usual decline in physical activity in adolescent girls (National Institutes of Health). The Adequate Calcium Today (ACT) study, a randomized multi-center study of a behavioral intervention to promote healthy eating, calcium intake and bone development in adolescent girls (United States Department of Agriculture). The Healthy Weight in Adolescents study, a randomized, multi-center study of the effects of a science-based curriculum focused on concepts of energy balance on body weight and composition in adolescent boys and girls (United States Department of Agriculture). The KNEE study, a randomized clinical trial of the effects of resistance exercise on disease progression, pain, and functional capacity in osteoarthritis patients (National Institutes of Health). The STRONG study, a randomized clinical trial of the effects of resistance exercise and Remicaid on disease progression, pain, muscle strength and functional capacity in rheumatoid arthritis patients (Centocor, Inc.). Partners for Healthy Active Children, Campañeros Para Niños Sano y Actives, designed to create and implement research-based physical education and nutrition curricula at YMCA after-school programs and Sunnyside District elementary schools, in alignment with the State o Arizona , Health and Physical Activity standards (Carol M. White Physical Education Program CFDA #84.215F). Longitudinal Changes in Hip Geometry, an observational and experimental cohort study of changes in muscle mass, hip structural parameters and hip bone strength in middle-aged and older women in the Women's Healthy Initiative study (National Institutes of Health).