Chih-Hao Lee

Chih-Hao Lee, PhD, Department of Molecular Metabolism, Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA

Dr. Lee is currently a Professor at the Department of Molecular Metabolism, Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His main research interest is to understand bioenergetic control mechanisms underlying physiological processes that impact metabolic health, with an emphasis on the crosstalk between metabolic and immune signaling. Dr. Lee obtained his Ph.D. degree in Pharmacology at University of Minnesota and postdoctoral training on the roles of nuclear receptors in lipid metabolism and atherogenic inflammation at the Salk Institute. Previous work from the Lee lab has demonstrated that the fatty acid-sensing nuclear receptor PPAR delta is downstream of Th2 cytokines and modulates alternative activation of adipose tissue resident macrophage through metabolic reprogramming towards mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. Subsequent studies have identified direct metabolic functions of Th2 cytokines, notably IL-13, in regulating hepatic glucose metabolism. The Lee lab continues to investigate the role of Th2 signaling in adaptive responses to metabolic stress, such as endurance exercise and feeding/fasting. Other research areas of the Lee lab include mitochondrial dynamics and integrated stress response, circadian rhythm, and metabolite-mediated inter-organ communication.