Jongsook Kim Kemper’s lab is studying transcriptional and epigenetic control of metabolism, using multidisciplinary approaches, ranging from cell-free to animal and human studies, and utilizing cutting-edge genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic techniques. Her research focuses on understanding the role of the bile acid signal-sensing nuclear receptors, FXR and SHP, and epigenomic modulators, like SIRT1, JMJD3, and microRNAs, in maintaining metabolic homeostasis. The Kemper lab studies how the dysregulation of these factors in diabetes and obesity, including fatty liver disease, can progress to terminal liver diseases like cirrhosis, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. She hopes that her research will reveal more effective and specific targets for treating and preventing metabolic diseases and cancer.
Kemper received her BS degree from Seoul National University, Korea, and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She received postdoctoral training at Illinois and Stanford University in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and is presently a Professor in the Department of Molecular Integrative Physiology.