George A. Brooks

George A. Brooks is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, leading the Exercise Physiology Laboratory. His research focuses on metabolic adjustments during exercise, notably the Lactate Shuttle and Crossover Concept hypotheses. These frameworks explain lactate's role in energy distribution, signaling, and tissue fueling, with applications in trauma care and cancer biology. Collaborations with neurosurgeons at UCLA revealed lactate's critical role in post-TBI brain and body recovery. His lab studies lactate transporters (MCTs), mitochondrial lactate oxidation complexes, and aging-related metabolic shifts. Key areas include lactate's signaling as a 'lactormone,' metabolic flexibility in exercise, and age-associated mitochondrial dysfunction. Recent work explores lactate's impact on cancer cell genes and breast cancer cell lines.

Research highlights include co-localization studies of lactate transport proteins with mitochondrial markers, and the discovery that lactate fuels brain recovery post-TBI. His lab employs isotope tracers, immunohistochemistry, and in vivo/in vitro models. Postdoctoral fellows and students study topics like mitochondrial biogenesis, fatty acid oxidation dynamics, and metabolic support formulations. Ongoing projects address aging effects on lactate shuttling, lipid peroxidation in old cells, and lactate-based nutritional protocols for patients and athletes.

Advising includes graduate students Nastaran Faghihnia and Mathew Johnson, with recent alumni like Gregory Henderson. The lab's innovations include wearable metabolic sensors and physiological models for hunger responses. His work bridges basic science and clinical applications, aiming to improve trauma care standards, enhance athletic performance, and combat metabolic disorders linked to aging.