Understanding mechanisms of metabolic regulation in physiology and disease forms the basis for developing therapies to treat diseases in which metabolism is perturbed. Dr. Xiao devises novel mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics technologies, combined with data science, to systematically discover mechanisms of metabolic regulation over protein function. His strategies established the first tissue-specific landscape of protein cysteine redox regulation during aging, elucidating mechanisms of redox signaling in physiology that remained elusive for decades. Dr. Xiao also leverages the genetic diversity of outbred populations to systematically annotate protein function and protein-metabolite co-regulation. The aim of his research program is to develop next-generation MS-based strategies to understand mechanisms of metabolic regulation in aging, metabolic disease, and cancer, and to use this knowledge as a basis to develop translational therapeutics.
