Dudley Lamming, PhD

Research Interests

Our laboratory is focused on understanding how what, when, and how much we eat can regulate metabolic health and aging. We discovered that low protein diets promote metabolic health and lifespan – improving blood sugar control and reducing adiposity – in humans and mice, and we have identified dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) as key regulators of these effects. We currently study the mechanisms that mediate these beneficial effects, with an emphasis on understanding the role of the amino acid responsive kinase mTOR (the mechanistic Target of Rapamycin). We also study if altering mTOR signaling with rapamycin, novel rapamycin derivatives, and other geroprotective agents can be used to treat or prevent age-related diseases.

Honors & Awards

2012 – Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), NIH/National Institute on Aging
2015 – Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging
2015 – Progeria Research Foundation Innovator Award
2016 – Wisconsin Partnership Program New Investigator Program Award
2016 – Central Society for Clinical and Translational Research – Early Career Development  Award
2017 – Elected Fellow, Gerontological Society of America
2017 – Elected to the Board of Directors, American Aging Association
2018 – American Physiological Society (Endocrinology and Metabolism Section) New Investigator Award (Awarded to “an outstanding investigator in the early stages of his/her career who has made meritorious contributions to the area represented by the Endocrinology & Metabolism Section.”)
2018 – Elected Fellow, American Aging Association
2018 – Gerontological Society of America Nathan Shock New Investigator Award (Awarded to “acknowledge outstanding contributions to new knowledge about aging through basic biological research.”)
2019 – UW-Madison Department of Medicine Puestow Research Award (Awarded to a junior member of the Medicine faculty who has made a significant research contribution towards advancing the field of medicine)
2020 – Vilas Early Career Investigator Award

Selected Publications

(Full Publication List)

The adverse metabolic effects of branched-chain amino acids are mediated by isoleucine and valine, Cell Metabolism, 2021

Lifelong restriction of dietary branched-chain amino acids has sex-specific benefits for frailty and life span in mice, Nature Aging, 2021

Ovariectomy uncouples lifespan from metabolic health and reveals a sex-hormone-dependent role of hepatic mTORC2 in aging, eLife, 2020

Calorie Restriction-Induced Insulin Sensitivity Is Mediated by Adipose mTORC2 and Not Required for Lifespan Extension, Cell Reports, 2019

A novel rapamycin analog is highly selective for mTORC1 in vivo, Nature Communications, 2019

Restoration of metabolic health by decreased consumption of branched-chain amino acids, Journal of Physiology, 2018

Decreased Consumption of Branched-Chain Amino Acids Improves Metabolic Health, Cell Reports, 2016

mTOR: The Grand ConducTOR of Metabolism and Aging, Cell Metabolism, 2016

Intermittent administration of rapamycin extends the lifespan of female C57BL/6J mice, JGBS, 2016