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Rachel Jamison Perry, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology) and of Cellular and Molecular Physiology
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Contact Info

Cellular & Molecular Physiology

P.O. Box 208026, 333 Cedar St.

New Haven, CT 06520-8026

United States

About

Titles

Assistant Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology) and of Cellular and Molecular Physiology

Biography

Dr. Rachel Perry is an Assistant Professor in Medicine/Endocrinology and Cellular & Molecular Physiology at the Yale University School of Medicine. Rachel's background is in the use of hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps and stable isotope infusions to assess insulin sensitivity, having earned her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D. (with Distinction) in Cellular & Molecular Physiology, and performed her postdoctoral training in Medicine/Endocrinology, all in the laboratory of Dr. Gerald Shulman. She opened her independent laboratory with K99/R00 funding in 2018.

The Perry laboratory focuses on applying stable isotope tracer methods to understand obesity- and insulin-associated alterations in metabolic flux pathways. Dr. Perry and her colleagues have recently identified hyperinsulinemia-induced increases in tumor glucose uptake and oxidation as a critical driver of colon cancer in two mouse models of the disease, and mitochondrial uncoupling as a potential therapeutic strategy against the disease, and went on to show that responsiveness to insulin is a metabolic signature of obesity-associated tumor types in vitro. Current work in the Perry lab expands upon these themes to study the intersection between systemic metabolism and immunometabolism in cancer as well as in sepsis and exercise. We are currently funded by the NIH (R37, R21), the Melanoma Research Alliance, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Current projects in the Perry lab include:

1. What is the molecular mechanism by which obesity and hyperinsulinemia promote tumor growth? How does insulin alter rates of glycolytic, oxidative, and anaplerotic metabolism? Can we invent better tracer methods than currently exist, allowing us to reliably measure rates of these pathways in vivo?

2. What is the impact of exercise, a classic insulin-sensitizing intervention, on obesity-associated tumor growth - and what is the mechanism?

3. Are alterations in tumor immunometabolism permissive for tumor progression? How does cancer therapy alter substrate preference in immune cells? Can we exploit systemic metabolic changes to enhance anti-cancer immunity?

4. How do tumor metabolism and immunometabolism differ - in rate and regulation - in metastases as compared to primary tumor?

5. What drives the changes in glucose metabolism commonly observed in inflammation that occurs following various stimuli?

In addition, Dr. Perry places great value on mentorship and has completed multiple trainings to help her hone these skills. The Perry lab is honored to have trainees at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate level from around the world working with us both remotely and in person.

Appointments

Education & Training

Postdoctoral Training
Yale University (2017)
PhD
Yale University Graduate School, Cellular & Molecular Physiology (2013)

Research

Overview

I am an Assistant Professor in Cellular & Molecular Physiology and Internal Medicine (Endocrinology) focusing on tumor metabolism as well as on the impact of systemic metabolism on the response to inflammatory, carcinogenic, and other insults. My training focused on the development and application of stable isotope tracer methodologies to measure hepatic oxidative flux rates, and to use these methods to examine (1) the mechanism by which hyperglycemia develops in poorly-controlled type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and potential therapeutic approaches to treat it, (2) the mechanism by which glycemia is defended during starvation, (3) the mechanism by which inflammation and alterations in the gut microbiota contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity and insulin resistance, and (4) the development of novel mitochondrial uncouplers to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, liver fibrosis, type 2 diabetes, and liver cirrhosis.

My young laboratory draws upon my training in the mechanisms of maintenance of glycemia and in the development of stable isotope tracer methods to model these effects, to examine the mechanism by which obesity drives the development and progression of multiple tumor types. We have shown that insulin drives glucose uptake and oxidation, resulting in increased tumor growth in vivo and in vitro in obesity-associated tumor types, in a result that appears to translate to humans, and that insulin-lowering approaches (mitochondrial uncoupling, SGLT2 inhibition) slow colon and breast cancer growth by reversing hyperinsulinemia-induced increases in tumor glucose uptake and oxidation. Current work in our laboratory expands these analyses to understand the impact of metabolic dysfunction on substrate utilization in addition tumor types, both associated and unassociated with obesity, and in the interplay between immune cells and tumor cells. Both in the lab and in the greater Yale community, I have a strong commitment to teaching and mentoring. I currently mentor two high school students, an undergraduate, five Ph.D. students, and an Associate Research Scientist, and am the co-lead instructor of a graduate-level class in metabolism. As a mentor and a member of two graduate admissions committees, I am also deeply committed to achieving a diverse and equitable training environment within Yale and in the greater scientific community, and actively seek to promote those values throughout my work.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Hyperglycemia; Hyperinsulinism; Insulin Resistance; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Rachel Jamison Perry's published research.

Publications

Featured Publications

2024

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • honor

    New Investigator Award

  • honor

    Translational Science Research Prize

  • honor

    Kingsley Fellow

  • honor

    R37 MERIT Award

  • honor

    Young Investigator Award

Get In Touch

Contacts

Mailing Address

Cellular & Molecular Physiology

P.O. Box 208026, 333 Cedar St.

New Haven, CT 06520-8026

United States

Locations

  • Sterling Hall of Medicine, B-Wing

    Academic Office

    333 Cedar Street, Rm BE36-B

    New Haven, CT 06510

  • Sterling Hall of Medicine, B-Wing

    Lab

    333 Cedar Street, Rm B0121

    New Haven, CT 06510

Events