Our lab research aims to understand the molecular and cellular mechanism of the development and prevention of nutrition-related chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. We are primarily interested in two areas: 1) the role of adipogenesis and fat partitioning in the development of obesity-linked insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and 2) how diets influence adipogenesis and fat partitioning. Three specific research interests focus on: a) the regulation of adipose-derived adipokines and inflammatory cytokines in insulin action and metabolic homeostasis; b) the molecular mechanisms linking defective adipogenesis occurring in insulin resistance and diabetes to metabolic dysregulation; c) the molecular mechanisms by which dietary factors or functional food components affect or prevent obesity and diabetes. Molecular biology, proteomics and genomics techniques are used for the cell-based and animal studies.