Kelly S. Swanson

Biography

He has done his Ph.D., 2002, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, M.S., 1999, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, B.S., 1997, North Dakota State University, Fargo.

Research Interest

Our laboratory uses genomic biology to study nutrition-related problems in the areas of 'obesity' and 'intestinal health'. Both comparative and applied nutrition research projects are performed in our laboratory, including those studying human subjects, companion animals, and rodent models. A primary aim of our laboratory is to study the effects of diet and age on gastrointestinal microbiota abundance and activity. DNA-based techniques [e.g., quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR); next-generation sequencing] are used in the lab. Current projects are designed to evaluate the effects of dietary fibers and prebiotics, dietary lipids, and protein: carbohydrate ratio on gastrointestinal microbial populations. Key associations between intestinal microbiota, host physiology, and disease are also being studied. Another primary area of research pertains to energy homeostasis and obesity. Molecular techniques (e.g., qRT-PCR; Fluidigm; RNAseq) are used to identify mechanisms and/or metabolic pathways affected in key metabolic tissues. Adipose tissue and skeletal muscle play important roles in energy homeostasis and glucose and lipid metabolism and are the focus of several ongoing projects.