POST-DOCTORAL SCHOLAR PROFILE
NAME: Kai Zou, Ph.D.
EMAIL: zouk14@ecu.edu
MENTOR: Joseph Houmard, Ph.D.
DEPARTMENT: East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute/Kinesiology
EDUCATION: B.S. – Kinesiology, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
M.S. – Exercise Biochemistry, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
Ph.D. – Exercise Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
Urbana, IL
SUMMARY:
My primary research focus is skeletal muscle metabolism. The prevalence of obesity is
increasing rapidly and associated strongly with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Skeletal muscle metabolism is aberrantly affected in these conditions, characterized by
impaired glucose uptake and decreased fat oxidation capacity. I am particularly interested
in the molecular mechanism by which obesity and/or type 2 diabetes can alter skeletal
muscle metabolism; and how exercise can effectively improve the process under such
conditions.
During my PhD training in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, my research
focused on developing novel strategies to improve skeletal muscle repair and adaptation
after eccentric exercise. Under the guidance of Dr. Marni Boppart, these studies
demonstrated that transplanting muscle-derived mesenchymal stem cells (mMSCs) can
effectively improve muscle repair and adaptation in response to eccentric exercise. My
research experience with Dr. Marni Boppart has provided me background of cellular and
molecular muscle physiology as well as stem cell biology. I also gained the expertise in the
isolation, culture and manipulation of skeletal muscle stem cells.
At ECU, my research project is focused on identifying the “diabetes factor” from human
skeletal muscle primary cells by using biological assays. The long-term goal is to develop an
effective treatment for diabetes that does not involve surgery.