Brian Kobilka, MD, Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University

Research Description: We have a long-standing interest in regulation of metabolism and physiological homeostasis by G protein-coupled receptors. We have a program on GPR75 and more recently started programs on GLP1R and GIPR. My lab at Stanford has been working on the glucagon receptor as a member of Family B GPCRs that is closely related to GLP1R and GIPR. While the glucagon receptor has proven experimentally tractable, GLP1R and GIPR are very challenging subjects for biochemical and biophysical studies. These 3 'Family B' receptors have distinct mechanisms of activation relative to 'Family A' that result in slower activation and inactivation kinetics. We are interested in understanding the physiologic consequence of these differences between families of GPCRs that are relevant to human metabolism and obesity. We collaborate with NORC member, Dr. K. Christopher Garcia.