The Goldberg Laboratory at NYU Grossman School of Medicine investigates the molecular and physiological mechanisms linking lipid metabolism to cardiovascular disease. Led by Dr. Ira J. Goldberg, the lab focuses on abnormalities in lipoprotein metabolism, particularly the atherogenic potential of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins and the role of triglycerides in promoting atherosclerosis. We seek to answer a basic biological question, how lipid molecules leave the circulation and cross the endothelial barrier to enter tissues and the arterial wall.

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Egress of lipid from the bloodstream is a central process affecting the physiology of tissues as well as the development of human disease. A major area of research centers on how lipase enzymes regulate plasma triglyceride levels and how dysregulation of these pathways contributes to lipid  accumulation, vascular injury, and organ dysfunction. The lab also explores lipid uptake and toxicity in the heart, aiming to understand how excess lipid exposure damages cardiac tissue. These studies include the basic biology of lipid droplet formation in the heart and how excess lipids lead to the heart failure risk associated with obesity and diabetes. To perform these studies we have created a number of unique genetically modified mice that have been used by investigators around the world.

 

The Goldberg laboratories is funded by several RO1 grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. In addition, Dr. Goldberg is the project leader of a Program Project based at the University of Washington and another here at NYU. An NIH funded human study explores how major reduction in circulating LDL cholesterol alters inflammation markers, white blood cells, platelets and endothelial cells in people with diabetes.