Professional Bio
Richard Printz, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor of Medicine and serves as the Scientific Director of the VUMC Molecular Cell Biology Resource Core and the VUMC Cell Culture Supplies Core under the administration of the VUMC Office of Research and the Vanderbilt Diabetes Center. He studies fundamental questions concerning metabolism and the complications associated with metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
He has been privileged to work with many excellent researchers and students at Vanderbilt University and VUMC. He is currently working with Dr. David Wasserman to explore how the cellular adhesome contributes to the deleterious effects of overnutrition, such as insulin resistance, by coupling changes in the extracellular environment to metabolism. He also collaborates with Dr. Kevin Niswender to examine the role of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor signaling in the preservation of cell function under conditions of metabolic stress in the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and central nervous systems.
Dr. Printz also conducts research funded by and in collaboration with the Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute affiliated with the Department of Defense and Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine to develop computational software that can model the effects of chemical-induced liver injuries. In the past, he has worked with Dr. Masakazu Shiota to understand how impaired regulation of glucokinase activity contributes to hyperglycemia, altered glycogen metabolism, and dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetes. He studied how changes in the gene expression of key metabolic enzymes alter metabolism, focusing on glucose 6-phosphatase with Dr. Richard O'Brien, and glucokinase and hexokinase II with Dr. Daryl Granner. His research with Dr. Daryl Granner also allowed him to work in collaboration with several pharmaceutical companies to develop compounds, glucokinase activators, for the potential treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Printz's research has contributed to the publication of many scientific papers and abstracts, as well as several book chapters and invited reviews.
Publications
Education
PhD - Molecular Physiology and Biophysics - Vanderbilt University, 1992
Contact
Email
Kimryn.Rathmell@Vumc.Org
Address
777 Preston Research Building
2220 Pierce Ave
Nashville, TN 37232-6307