UASOM Faculty Profiles


Name	VICTOR M DARLEY-USMAR Endowed Professor of Mitochondrial Medicine and Pathology Senior Associate Dean for Research Compliance and Administration School of Medicine Director, Mitochondrial Medicine Laboratory
Campus Address	BMR2 508 Zip 2186
Phone	(205) 975-9686
E-mail	vdarleyusmar@uabmc.edu
Other websites

Appointment Type

Department

Division

Rank

Primary

Joint Pathology

Molecular & Cellular Pathology

Professor

Secondary

Anesthesiology Chair Office

Professor

Secondary

Environmental Health Sciences

Professor

Secondary

Neurobiology

Professor

Center

Biomatrix Eng Regen Med (BERM) Ctr

Professor

Center

Center for AIDS Research

Professor

Center

Center for Biophysical Sciences/Engineering

Professor

Center

Comp Arthritis, MSK, Bone & Autoimmunity Ctr

Professor

Center

Comprehensive Cancer Center

Professor

Center

Comprehensive Cardiovascular Ctr

Professor

Center

Comprehensive Diabetes Center

Professor

Center

Comprehensive Neuroscience Center

Professor

Center

Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci

Professor

Center

Nephrology Research & Training Center

Professor

Center

Nutrition Sciences Research

Nutrition Obesity Res Ctr (NORC)

Professor

Integrative Biomedical Sciences

Medical Scientist Training Program

Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine

Victor Darley-Usmar received his Ph.D. at the University of Essex in England and then moved to the University of Oregon as a Post-Doctoral Fellow to pursue his interests in the structure and function of mitochondrial proteins in human disease. After a period as a lecturer in Japan and ten years as a Research Scientist in Burroughs Wellcome in London he joined UAB to establish his own research group in the Department of Pathology in 1995 and is currently director of the UAB Mitochondrial Medicine Laboratory. His major research interests are in translating basic research in redox biology and bioenergetics to a clinical setting. In recognition of this contribution he was appointed as the Foundation Endowed Professor in Mitochondrial Medicine and Pathology at UAB. His research is focused on the contribution of mitochondrial dysfunction to the pathophysiology of human disease. He recently developed the methods for the assessment of bioenergetic function in cells isolated from human blood which opens up the potential for using mitochondrial function in translational medicine. Deteriorating mitochondrial quality control is an important mechanism for understanding how bioenergetics changes in response to metabolic stress and the interface with autophagy was explore in the context of diabetes and heme toxicity. Recently he has shown how novel mitochondrial therapeutics can protect against metabolic stress.

Organization Name

Position Held

Org Link

Society For Free Radical Biology and Medicine

former President/ member

Title
Mitochondrial Health; Bench to Bedside
Description
The most serious diseases that effect developed nations such as atherosclerosis, neurodegeneration and diabetes are known to involve mitochondrial dysfunction. The challenge is to translate the findings in basic research in mitochondrial function and the pathology of disease to the clinic. To achieve this we are developing new methods to assess bioenergetic dysfunction in human disease and determine its diagnostic potential. The approach we are taking is to develop new methods for defining bioenergetic health in human populations using the cellular mitochondrial function of leukocytes and platelets isolated from human blood.

Publication

PUBMEDID

Chacko, B.K. Kramer, P.A.,Ravi, S, Benavides, G.A., Mitchell, T., Dranka, B.P., Ferrick, D., Singal, A.K., Ballinger, S.W., Bailey, S.M., Hardy, R.W., Jianhua Zhang, J, Zhi, D., and Darley-Usmar, V.M. (2014) The Bioenergetic Health Index: A New Concept in Mitochondrial Translational Research. Clinical Science 127, (367–373).

PMCID: PMC4202728

Ravi S, Chacko B, Sawada H, Kramer PA, Johnson MS, Benavides GA, O'Donnell V, Marques MB, Darley-Usmar VM. (2015) Metabolic plasticity in resting and thrombin activated platelets.
PLoS One.;10(4):e0123597

Hill B, Benavides G, Lancaster J, Ballinger S, Dell’Italia L, Zhang J, Darley-Usmar VM Integration of cellular bioenergetics with mitochondrial quality control and autophagy. Biological Chemistry. 393: 1485–1512, 2012.

PMCID: PMC3594552

Dodson M, Darley-Usmar VM, Zhang J (2013) Cellular metabolic and autophagic pathways: traffic control by redox signaling. Free Radical Biology and Medicine 63:207-221

PMCID:PMC3729625

Wende AR, Young ME, Chatham J, Zhang J, Rajasekaran NS, Darley-Usmar VM. (2016) Redox biology and the interface between bioenergetics, autophagy and circadian control of metabolism. Free Radic Biol Med. (16)30270-2.

27242268

Slatter, D.A., Aldrovandi, M., O’Connor, A., Allen, S., Brasher, C., Murphy, R.C., Mecklemann, S., Ravi, S., Darley-Usmar V., and O’Donnell. V.B. (2016). Mapping the human platelet lipidome reveals a wealth of novel species, and reveals cytosolic phospholipase A2 as a regulator of mitochondrial bioenergetics. Cell Metabolism 23, 930-944.

27133131

Kramer PA, Chacko BK, George DJ, Zhi D, Wei CC, Dell'Italia LJ, Melby SJ, George JF, Darley-Usmar VM. (2015) Decreased Bioenergetic Health Index in monocytes isolated from the pericardial fluid and blood of post-operative cardiac surgery patients. Biosci Rep 35(4).

26181371

Kramer, P.A., Prichard, L, Chacko, B.,Ravi, S.,Overton, E.T.,Heath, S.L., Darley-Usmar V (2015) Inhibition of the lymphocyte metabolic switch by the oxidative burst of human neutrophils. Clinical Science 129:489-504.

25951298

mitochondria, nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, bioenergetic dysfunciton, translational research