Kripa Shankar, Ph.D. Instructor School Medical School Department Center for Human Nutrition | Internal Medicine Biography Kripa Shankar, Ph.D. is an Instructor in Dr. Shawn Burgess's Lab at the Center for Human Nutrition, UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Shankar also holds a secondary appointment as an Instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine and a member of the Center for Hypothalamic Research. Dr. Shankar earned his bachelor's degree in biotechnology from Chhatrapati ShahuJi Maharaj University in Kanpur, followed by a master's degree in biotechnology from Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow. He completed his doctorate in life sciences from Central Drug Research Institute in Lucknow. Dr. Shankar conducted postdoctoral research in Dr. Jeffrey Zigman’s lab at the Center for Hypothalamic Research, where he investigated the role of ghrelin in body weight and glucose homeostasis. Dr. Shankar’s research employs stable isotope tracers to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease. His research has led to numerous peer-reviewed publications. In 2021, he was honored with the Ethan Sims Young Investigator Award by the Obesity Society. He is an editorial board member for Frontiers in Endocrinology and BMC Research Notes and also acts as an ad hoc reviewer for various other academic journals. Personal Note In his free time, he loves watching cricket, playing with his sons, and cooking Indian cuisine. Research Interest Body Weight and Energy Homeostasis Fatty Liver Disease Metabolic Flux Publications Featured Publications A long-acting LEAP2 analog reduces hepatic steatosis and inflammation and causes marked weight loss in mice. Shankar K, Metzger NP, Lawrence C, Gupta D, Osborne-Lawrence S, Varshney S, Singh O, Richard CP, Zaykov AN, Rolfts R, DuBois BN, Perez-Tilve D, Mani BK, Hammer STG, Zigman JM, Mol Metab 2024 Jun 84 101950 Ghrelin cell-expressed insulin receptors mediate meal- and obesity-induced declines in plasma ghrelin. Shankar K, Takemi S, Gupta D, Varshney S, Mani BK, Osborne-Lawrence S, Metzger NP, Richard CP, Berglund ED, Zigman JM, JCI Insight 2021 Sep LEAP2 deletion in mice enhances ghrelin's actions as an orexigen and growth hormone secretagogue. Shankar K, Metzger NP, Singh O, Mani BK, Osborne-Lawrence S, Varshney S, Gupta D, Ogden SB, Takemi S, Richard CP, Nandy K, Liu C, Zigman JM, Mol Metab 2021 Aug 101327 Acyl-ghrelin Is Permissive for the Normal Counterregulatory Response to Insulin-Induced Hypoglycemia. Shankar K, Gupta D, Mani BK, Findley BG, Lord CC, Osborne-Lawrence S, Metzger NP, Pietra C, Liu C, Berglund ED, Zigman JM, Diabetes 2020 02 69 2 228-237 Chronic hyperinsulinemia reduces insulin sensitivity and metabolic functions of brown adipocyte. Rajan S, Shankar K, Beg M, Varshney S, Gupta A, Srivastava A, Kumar D, Mishra RK, Hussain Z, Gayen JR, Gaikwad AN, J Endocrinol 2016 09 230 3 275-90 Disrupting the ghrelin-growth hormone axis limits ghrelin's orexigenic but not glucoregulatory actions. Gupta D, Patterson AM, Osborne-Lawrence S, Bookout AL, Varshney S, Shankar K, Singh O, Metzger NP, Richard CP, Wyler SC, Elmquist JK, Zigman JM, Mol Metab 2021 May 53 101258 Ghrelin Protects Against Insulin-Induced Hypoglycemia in a Mouse Model of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Shankar K, Gupta D, Mani BK, Findley BG, Osborne-Lawrence S, Metzger NP, Liu C, Berglund ED, Zigman JM, Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020 11 606 Role of brown adipose tissue in modulating adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance in high-fat diet fed mice. Shankar K, Kumar D, Gupta S, Varshney S, Rajan S, Srivastava A, Gupta A, Gupta AP, Vishwakarma AL, Gayen JR, Gaikwad AN, Eur J Pharmacol 2019 Jul 854 354-364 ?1-adrenergic receptors mediate plasma acyl-ghrelin elevation and depressive-like behavior induced by chronic psychosocial stress. Gupta D, Chuang JC, Mani BK, Shankar K, Rodriguez JA, Osborne-Lawrence S, Metzger NP, Zigman JM, Neuropsychopharmacology 2019 06 44 7 1319-1327 Chronic hyperinsulinemia promotes meta-inflammation and extracellular matrix deposition in adipose tissue: Implications of nitric oxide. Kumar D, Shankar K, Patel S, Gupta A, Varshney S, Gupta S, Rajan S, Srivastava A, Vishwakarma AL, Gaikwad AN, Mol Cell Endocrinol 2018 12 477 15-28 Results 1-10 of 11 1 2 Next Last Honors & Awards Ethan Sims Young Investigator Award (2021) Professional Associations/Affiliations American Diabetes Association The Obesity Society
