Nathan R Qi

 Nathan R Qi, MD, PhD
Research Scientist
Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Medical School
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Molecular & Integrative Physiology
2800 Plymouth Road, NCRC 020-30C
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
[email protected]
Available to mentor
Nathan R Qi
Nathan R Qi, MD, PhD
Research Scientist
  • About
  • Qualifications
  • Center Memberships
  • Recent Publications

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    • About

    I am the director of the Metabolic, Physiological, and Behavioral Phenotyping Core of the Michigan Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center (MMPC-Live) serving academia and industry. I am in charge of the daily research activities assuring scientific appropriateness in study design, execution consistency and quality, and the development of new phenotyping approaches and techniques for assessing whole-animal glucose and lipid homeostasis and related behavioral changes. I also serve as a mentor or PI on several postdoctoral research projects and a member of the Faculty Senate Research Advisory Committee and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. I have more than 30 years of experience in research using animal models of human diseases. I was trained in physiology and molecular genetics and have carried out many studies involving in vivo whole-animal phenotyping in rodents, from cardiovascular dysfunction to insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes. I was also trained as a surgeon in China and Japan, which has provided me with invaluable skills to successfully perform and train others in rodent surgeries.

    In the past 18 years, the core has provided valuable services in research and education to more than 100 investigators on campus and elsewhere. Our work has supported more than 100 high-profile publications and numerous NIH-funded grants each year. In addition, the core has been serving as a consultation and training platform for faculties, students, or lab staff working in obesity and diabetes research. We have also provided services to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, as well as other universities in the states and abroad. As a member of the current MMPC-Live consortium, the core will further focus on providing high-quality of phenotyping services to a broader research community and implementing new techniques and standardized methodologies in animal phenotyping.

    Qualifications
    • Post-doc fellow
      University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
      1998 - 2002
      Postdoctoral Research
    • PhD
      Medial College of Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, United States
      1993 - 1998

    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      Caswell Diabetes Institute

    Recent Publications

     See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Digital twins for in vivo metabolic flux estimations in patients with brain cancer
      Meghdadi B, Al-Holou WN, Scott AJ, Mittal A, Liang N, Sravya P, Achreja A, O’Brien A, Do K, Wu Z, Feng J, Qi NR, Tarnal V, Venneti S, Miller CR, Sarkaria JN, Zhou W, Lawrence TS, Lyssiotis CA, Wahl DR, Nagrath D. Cell Metabolism, 2026 Jan 6; 38 (1): 228 - 246.e17. DOI:10.1016/j.cmet.2025.10.022
      PMID: 41330373
    • Preprint
      Adaptive nuclear GTP synthesis promotes glioblastoma treatment resistance and is a targetable vulnerability in patients.
      Scott AJ, Liang N, Al-Holou WN, Xu J, O'Brien A, Lin A, Pareek V, Sha Z, Zhao Z, Yang JZ, Yang A, Kothari AU, Wilder-Romans K, Wu Z, Feng J, Korimerla N, Elaimy A, Palavalasa S, Chen J, Wang L, Zhang L, Andren AC, Sajjakulnukit P, Marini B, Heth JA, Morgan MA, Lawrence TS, Benkovic SJ, Nagrath D, Chandrasekaran S, Qi NR, Sun D, Wen B, Pai MP, Clarke N, Suresh K, Umemura Y, Lyssiotis CA, Zhou W, Wahl DR. 2025 Nov 13; DOI:10.1101/2025.11.11.25340023
      PMID: 41292630
    • Journal Article
      TMET-57. Integrating scRNA-seq and13C-tracing delineates metabolic heterogeneity in the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment
      Meghdadi B, Al-Holou W, Scott A, Mittal A, Liang N, Palavalasa S, Achreja A, Qi N, O’Brien A, Tarnal V, Zhou W, Lawrence T, Lyssiotis C, Wahl D, Nagrath D. Neuro-Oncology, 2025 Nov 12; 27 (Supplement_5): v441 - v441. DOI:10.1093/neuonc/noaf201.1748
      PMID: PMC12601269
    • Journal Article
      Dual leucine zipper-bearing kinase DLK is necessary for cell autonomous regulation of insulin sensitivity
      Wong HN, Qi N, Arias EB, Cho KW, Nihalani D, Cartee GD, Holzman LB. Molecular Metabolism, 2025 Nov 1; 101: DOI:10.1016/j.molmet.2025.102244
      PMID: 40902848
    • Journal Article
      Rewiring of cortical glucose metabolism fuels human brain cancer growth.
      Scott A, Meghdadi B, Palavalasa S, Achreja A, O'Brien A, Kothari A, Zhou W, Xu J, Lin A, Wilder-Romans K, Edwards DM, Wu Z, Feng J, Andren AC, Zhang L, Tarnal V, Redic KA, Qi N, Fischer J, Yang E, Regan MS, Stopka SA, Baquer G, Lawrence TS, Venneti S, Agar NYR, Lyssiotis CA, Al-Holou WN, Nagrath D, Wahl DR. Nature, 2024 Feb 28;
    • Journal Article
      A consensus guide to preclinical indirect calorimetry experiments
      Banks AS, Allison DB, Alquier T, Ansarullah , Austad SN, Auwerx J, Ayala JE, Baur JA, Carobbio S, Churchill GA, Dall M, de Cabo R, Donato J, Dragano NRV, Elias CF, Ferrante AW, Finck BN, Galgani JE, Gerhart-Hines Z, Goodyear LJ, Grobe JL, Gupta RK, Habegger KM, Hartig SM, Hevener AL, Heymsfield SB, Holman CD, de Angelis MH, James DE, Kazak L, Kim JB, Klingenspor M, Kong X, Kooijman S, Lantier L, Lloyd KCK, Lo JC, Lodhi IJ, MacLean PS, McGuinness OP, Medina-Gómez G, Mirmira RG, Morrison CD, Morton GJ, Müller TD, Ogawa Y, Pajuelo-Reguera D, Potthoff MJ, Qi N, Reitman ML, Rensen PCN, Rozman J, Rutkowsky JM, Sakamoto K, Scherer PE, Schwartz GJ, Sedlacek R, Selloum M, Shaikh SR, Chen S, Shulman GI, Škop V, Soukas AA, Speakman JR, Spiegelman BM, Steinberg GR, Svensson KJ, Thyfault JP, Tiganis T, Titchenell PM, Turner N, Velloso LA, Vidal-Puig A, Ward CS, Williams AS, Wolfrum C, Xu AW, Xu Y, Zierath JR. Nature Metabolism, 2025 Sep 1; 7 (9): 1765 - 1780. DOI:10.1038/s42255-025-01360-4
      PMID: 40993210
    • Proceeding / Abstract / Poster
      Abstract 1140: Digital twins for in vivo metabolic flux estimations in brain cancer patients
      Meghdadi B, Al-Holou WN, Scott AJ, Mittal A, Liang N, Palavalasa S, Achreja A, Qi N, O'Brien A, Tarnal V, Zhou W, Lawrence TS, Lyssiotis CA, Wahl DR, Nagrath D. Cancer Research, 2025 Apr 24; 85 (8_Supplement_1): 1140 - 1140. DOI:10.1158/1538-7445.am2025-1140
    • Journal Article
      Retrograde mitochondrial signaling governs the identity and maturity of metabolic tissues
      Walker EM, Pearson GL, Lawlor N, Stendahl AM, Lietzke A, Sidarala V, Zhu J, Stromer T, Reck EC, Li J, Levi-D’Ancona E, Pasmooij MB, Hubers DL, Renberg A, Mohamed K, Parekh VS, Zhang IX, Thompson B, Zhang D, Ware SA, Haataja L, Qi N, Parker SCJ, Arvan P, Yin L, Kaufman BA, Satin LS, Sussel L, Stitzel ML, Soleimanpour SA. Science, 2025 Dec 17; 388 (6743): DOI:10.1126/science.adf2034