Rodney Infante, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor Endowed Title Kern and Marnie Wildenthal President's Research Council Professorship in Medical Science School Medical School Department Center for Human Nutrition | Internal Medicine Graduate Programs Cell and Molecular Biology You have reached the Academic Profile. For more information on the doctor and patient care, please visit the clinical profile. Biography Rodney Infante, M.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Center for Human Nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center, with secondary appointments in the Department of Molecular Genetics and the Department of Internal Medicine, where he is a member of its Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases. He specializes in general gastroenterology and cancer cachexia. Dr. Infante holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors. He earned his medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School and his doctorate from UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where he studied intracellular lipid trafficking under the tutelage of Michael Brown, M.D., and Joseph Goldstein, M.D. He then completed internal medicine residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and returned to UT Southwestern for advanced fellowship training in gastroenterology and human nutrition. Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine and gastroenterology, he joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2017. Dr. Infante’s research focuses on the molecules and mechanisms that cause cachexia-associated adipose wasting associated with oncologic, liver, infectious, and rheumatologic diseases. By understanding the mechanisms that underlie adipose loss in cachexia, his lab plans to identify new treatments for cachexia patients while also providing insights to induce adipose loss in obesity. He has delivered numerous presentations and published many professional papers, several of which are regarded as classics on the topic of cholesterol transport. In 2019, he received a Career Award for Medical Scientists from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and a research scholar award from the American Gastroenterological Association. Education Medical School UT Southwestern Medical School (2012) Residency Massachusetts General Hospital (2014), Internal Medicine Fellowship UT Southwestern Medical Center (2017), Gastroenterology Research Interest Cachexia Cytokine-Associated Adipocyte Lipolysis Lipid Metabolsim Obesity Publications Featured Publications LIFR-a-dependent adipocyte signaling in obesity limits adipose expansion contributing to fatty liver disease. Guo T, Gupta A, Yu J, Granados JZ, Gandhi AY, Evers BM, Iyengar P, Infante RE, iScience 2021 Mar 24 3 102227 JAK Inhibitors Suppress Cancer Cachexia-Associated Anorexia and Adipose Wasting in Mice. Arora G, Gupta A, Guo T, Gandhi A, Laine A, Williams D, Ahn C, Iyengar P, Infante R, JCSM Rapid Commun 2020 Jul-Dec 3 2 115-128 Cachexia-associated adipose loss induced by tumor-secreted leukemia inhibitory factor is counterbalanced by decreased leptin. Arora GK, Gupta A, Narayanan S, Guo T, Iyengar P, Infante RE JCI Insight 2018 Jul 3 14 Prevalence and Survival Impact of Pretreatment Cancer-Associated Weight Loss: A Tool for Guiding Early Palliative Care. Gannavarapu BS, Lau SKM, Carter K, Cannon NA, Gao A, Ahn C, Meyer JJ, Sher DJ, Jatoi A, Infante R, Iyengar P J Oncol Pract 2018 Feb JOP2017025221 Reply. Rich NE, Iyengar P, Infante RE, Singal AG, Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022 Feb Associations of Prior Chronic Use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and Glucocorticoids With Cachexia Incidence and Survival. Olaechea S, Gilmore A, Alvarez C, Gannavarapu BS, Infante R, Iyengar P, Front Oncol 2022 12 922418 Cytokine-Mediated STAT3 Transcription Supports ATGL/CGI-58-Dependent Adipocyte Lipolysis in Cancer Cachexia. Gandhi AY, Yu J, Gupta A, Guo T, Iyengar P, Infante RE, Front Oncol 2022 12 841758 Primary Tumor Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxydglucose (18F-FDG) Is Associated With Cancer-Associated Weight Loss in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and Portends Worse Survival. Olaechea S, Gannavarapu BS, Alvarez C, Gilmore A, Sarver B, Xie D, Infante R, Iyengar P, Front Oncol 2022 12 900712 The influence of tumour fluorodeoxyglucose avidity and cachexia development on patient survival in oesophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer. Olaechea S, Gannavarapu BS, Gilmore A, Alvarez C, Iyengar P, Infante R, JCSM Clin Rep 2021 Oct 6 4 128-136 Cachexia is Prevalent in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Associated with Worse Prognosis. Rich NE, Phen S, Desai N, Mittal S, Yopp AC, Yang JD, Marrero JA, Iyengar P, Infante RE, Singal AG, Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2021 Sep Results 1-10 of 22 1 2 3 Next Last Honors & Awards AGA Research Scholar Award (2019-2022) Burroughs Wellcome Career Award for Medical Scientists (2019-2024) UTSW President's Research Council Award (2019-2020) V Foundation Scholar Award (2019-2021) UTSW Hemphill-Gojer Award in Internal Medicine (2012) ASCB Norton B. Gilula Award (2009) UTSW Nominata Award (2008)
