Francis Kim, MD
Title:
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology
Email Address:
Background:
Dr. Kim received his MD from the University of California, San Francisco and completed his residency in Medicine at UW. He completed his clinical cardiology and research fellowships in 1999. In addition to patient care responsibilities in Cardiology at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Dr. Kim has been involved in two main areas of research, which are both funded by the NIH. The first involves the effects of diabetes/obesity on vascular function and second involves the use of hypothermia in cardiac arrest resuscitation.
Focus:
Dr. Kim's research focuses on studying endothelial nitric oxide signaling and vascular inflammation. Further, his lab is interested in examining the role of insulin resistance and obesity in the development of vascular disease. Both cellular and molecular approaches are used in cell culture and mouse models. The Kim laboratory focuses on the biology of endothelial nitric oxide signaling and the cellular mechanisms by which nutrient excess (free fatty acids and glucose) impair nitric oxide production. The second focus of the Kim lab centers on examining cellular mechanisms which activate vascular inflammatory pathways during nutritional excess.
Representative Publications:
Kim F, Gallis B, Corson M. TNF inhibits both fluid shear stress and insulin signaling and nitric oxide production in Bovine Aortic Endothelial Cells. American Journal of Physiology 2001; 280 C1057-1065.
Kim F, Tyselling K, Rice J, Pham M, Haji L, Gallis B, Baas A, Paramsothy P, Giachelli CM, Corson, MA, Raines EW. Free Fatty Acid Impairment of Nitric Oxide Production in Endothelial Cells is Mediated by IKKb Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2005; 25:989-994.
Kim F, Tyselling K, Rice J, Gallis B, Haji L, Giachelli CM, Raines EW, Corson MA, Schwartz MW. Activation of IKKb by Glucose is Necessary and Sufficient to Impair Insulin Signaling and Nitric Oxide Production in Endothelial Cells. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. 2005; 39 327-334.
Kim F, Pham M, Luttrell I, Bannerman DD, Tupper J, Thaler J, Hawn TR, Raines EW, Schwartz MW. Toll Like Receptor-4 Mediated Vascular Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in Diet-Induced Obesity. Circulation Research. 2007; 100:1589-1596.
Wisse BE, Kim F, Schwartz MW. An Integrative View of Obesity. Science. 2007; 318: 928-929.
Kim F, Pham M, Maloney E, Rizzo NO, Morton GJ, Wisse BE, Kirk EA, Chait A, Schwartz MW. Vascular Inflammation, Insulin Resistance and Reduced Nitric Oxide Production Precede the Onset of Peripheral Insulin Resistance. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2008 (in press)
Current Collaborations:
Within the Diabetes and Obesity Center of Excellence and its Affiliated Members
Michael Schwartz, MD
Ian Sweet, PhD
Karin Bornfeldt, PhD
Alan Chait, MD
Brent Wisse, MD
Gregory Morton, PhD
Outside the Diabetes and Obesity Center of Excellence
Kanchan Chitaley, PhD
Alec Clowes, MD
Guenter Daum, PhD
David Hockenbery, MD
Lab Members:
Norma Rizzo, BA
Priya Handa, PhD
Sanshiro Tateya, MD, PhD
Andrew Cheng, MD
Cory Hargus