Welcome to the Hruz lab
Our research efforts are directed toward understanding facilitative glucose transport as it relates to normal and disordered glucose homeostasis. A primary effort in our laboratory is the identification and development of novel therapeutics that selectively target facilitative glucose transporters (GLUTs). Current applications include the development of drugs for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), malaria and myeloma.
Our efforts build upon our pioneering work in elucidating a molecular basis for the development of insulin resistance in HIV infected patients treated with HIV protease inhibitors. We have developed novel tools to screen and test diverse libraries of small molecules for isoform-selective effects on each of the known human GLUT isoforms. This is complimented by our use of state of the art chemical and biophysical approaches to characterize the tertiary and quaternary structures of the human GLUTs.