Dr. Hakam Al-Khateeb

My major research interests is to examine substrates (glucose and fatty acids) utilization by heart and skeletal muscles, and to examine the factors that regulate such utilization in health and chronic disease, particularly the metabolic dysfunction of lipids and carbohydrates in the development of insulin resistance and diabetes. Diabetes-induced heart failure is also a major part of my research interest as cardiovascular diseases are responsible for ~80% of deaths in diabetic populations. Therefore, it is imperative to figure out novel therapeutic approaches, which are capable of restoring normal cardiac function in diabetic heart.
Physical activity or natural products play an important role in the prevention and treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Physical activity and natural products may be as effective as or even more effective than pharmacological approaches for preventing or ameliorating the development of heart failure in diabetic populations. Based on this concept, my research program seeks to isolate and to characterize novel antidiabetic agents from natural sources and to elucidate the sites and modes of action of these agents. Additionally, my research program also seeks to understand the molecular and biochemical mechanisms that mediate the beneficial effects of physical activity in health and disease. Collectively, this knowledge will potentially contribute to the development of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of chronic disease.