Patrick J. Hu, MD, PhD

Patrick J. Hu, MD, PhD is the Director of the Harrison Society and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. In his role as director of the Harrison Society, Dr. Hu oversees the Physician-Scientist Training Program which utilizes the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Research Pathway to facilitate combined clinical and research training of individuals committed to careers in academic medicine.

 

Dr. Hu is a clinically active oncologist with expertise in the management of pancreatic, colorectal, and anal cancers. His lab studies insulin and insulin-like growth factor signaling using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism. In C. elegans, the DAF-2 insulin receptor ortholog controls development, metabolism, and aging through a conserved PI 3-kinase/Akt cascade that regulates the FoxO transcription factor DAF-16. As FoxO transcription factors promote longevity in C. elegans and other species, including possibly humans, his research is focused on elucidating the mechanisms that govern both the regulation of FoxO activity as well as the FoxO outputs that are critical to its function in extending life span. The Hu group has pioneered the use of sensitized genetic screens to identify new modulators of C. elegans DAF-2 signaling. They have discovered several conserved genes that play previously unappreciated roles in DAF-16/FoxO regulation and function, and they are devising strategies to interrogate the function of orthologous genes in mammalian physiology and pathophysiology.