Award

Kahn honored for research, mentoring

She won FASEB's Excellence in Science Award
George Van Den Driessche
By George Van Den Driessche
April 1, 2019

Barbara Kahn is the recipient of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology’s 2019 Excellence in Science Award.

Barbara Kahn
“It is an honor to receive this award on behalf of the talented postdoctoral fellows, students and junior faculty who have catalyzed the discoveries in my lab, and our collaborators who have expanded our scientific horizons. The inspiration and skills of this team deserve this award. As a physician-scientist, my vision is to leverage emerging technologies to better understand metabolism and discover new approaches to prevent and treat metabolic diseases.”

— BARBARA KAHN

FASEB is honoring Kahn, the George R. Minot endowed chair and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and vice chair for research strategy in the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center department of medicine, for her contributions to diabetes research and the scientific community. Kahn is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Gerald I. Shulman, a professor at Yale University, wrote in his nomination letter that Kahn “has made pioneering discoveries throughout the past 30 years that elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, with a particular emphasis on the role of the adipocyte in regulating glucose homeostasis.”

In the 1990s, Kahn discovered that obese and diabetic people had downregulation of the major insulin-regulated glucose transporter protein, GLUT4, in fat cells, causing insulin resistance. This discovery fueled a research career studying insulin action and the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Kahn’s work regarding the cellular and molecular effects of altered GLUT4 levels resulted in identification of novel mechanisms that cause insulin resistance and increase the risk of developing diabetes. In the early 2000s, her lab determined that the fat-secreted retinol binding protein 4, RBP4, is increased in adipose tissue and blood in obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans, and this causes insulin resistance by creating a pro-inflammatory state. In 2012, Kahn’s lab found that increasing GLUT4 protein expression induces carbohydrate-response element-binding protein (ChREBP) which regulates fatty acid synthesis. Kahn’s lab discovered ChREBP is necessary in adipocytes to maintain whole-body insulin sensitivity.

The insights gained from these studies led to the discovery of a new class of lipids called branched fatty acid hydroxy fatty acids, or FAHFAs. Insulin-resistant people have low biological concentrations of FAHFAs. If these lipids are restored to normal healthy levels in diabetic mice, insulin sensitivity improves. These lipids may provide a new therapeutic treatment for Type 2 diabetes.

Kahn’s contributions go beyond groundbreaking research. She has mentored 100 postdocs and students, and she has played a leadership role in mentoring programs that help junior faculty, especially underrepresented minorities and women, gain high-visibility positions in the research community.

As a physician–researcher, Kahn has served as a consultant for the National Diabetes Advisory Board at the National Institutes of Health and is on the Advisory Council for the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases. She has served on numerous American Diabetes Association committees and as an editor for several academic journals. Kahn is also a leader within the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center where she was chief of the Diabetes Unit and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism. She also co-chairs the Unconscious Bias Awareness committee for the department’s Committee on the Advancement of Women.

Kahn will receive her award at the ASBMB annual meeting during the Experimental Biology 2019 conference in Orlando, where she will deliver an award lecture titled “Glucose transport, adipose biology and novel mechanisms for regulating systemic insulin sensitivity” at 8 a.m. April 8 in Valencia Ballroom A at the Orange County Convention Center.

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition weekly.

Learn more
George Van Den Driessche
George Van Den Driessche

George Van Den Driessche is a Ph.D. student in chemistry at North Carolina State University. Follow him on Twitter.

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in People

People highlights or most popular articles

Being a whole person outside of work
Hobbies

Being a whole person outside of work

Nov. 1, 2024

Creating art, community service, physical exercise, theater and music — four scientists talk about the activities that bring them joy.

‘We’re thankful for our reviewers’
Journal News

‘We’re thankful for our reviewers’

Oct. 31, 2024

Meet some of the scientists who review manuscripts for the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Journal of Lipid Research and Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.

In memoriam: Bruce Ames
In Memoriam

In memoriam: Bruce Ames

Oct. 28, 2024

He invented a cheap and easy way to assess mutagenicity that helped identify many environmental and industrial carcinogens; it became known as the Ames test.

Honors for DebBurman, Margaryan and Santiago–Frangos
Member News

Honors for DebBurman, Margaryan and Santiago–Frangos

Oct. 28, 2024

The Council on Undergraduate Research honors Shubhik DebBurman with a mentoring award. Anush Margaryan wins a Projects for Peace grant to teach refugees in Armenia. UPenn names Andrew Santiago–Frangos an endowed assistant professor.

In memoriam: William L. Smith
In Memoriam

In memoriam: William L. Smith

Oct. 21, 2024

He served as associate editor of both the Journal of Biological Chemistry and the Journal of Lipid Research and was an ASBMB member for more than 40 years.

Honors for Fleming, Garcia and Lichtenstein
Member News

Honors for Fleming, Garcia and Lichtenstein

Oct. 21, 2024

Karen Fleming elected president of Biophysical Society. The Eastern Analytical Symposium honors Ben Garcia for achievements in mass spec. Tufts University names Alice Lichtenstein a distinguished professor.