Irwin J. Kurland

Dr. Irwin J. Kurland is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine (Endocrinology) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He directs the Stable Isotope Metabolomics Core within the Diabetes Research Center. His research focuses on understanding metabolic inflexibility in diabetes and its relationship to insulin resistance, leveraging advanced stable isotope-based flux methodologies combined with 'omics approaches. Dr. Kurland’s work integrates GC/MS profiling, metabolomics, and proteomics to dissect tissue-specific metabolic networks and their regulatory mechanisms, particularly involving acetyl CoA signaling and protein acetylation.

Research Interests: Dr. Kurland investigates how metabolic dysregulation impacts cellular signaling pathways, emphasizing the role of acetyl CoA as a metabolic sensor. His lab develops tiered frameworks for metabolic analysis, starting with whole-body phenotyping (e.g., HR-dGTT tests) to guide multi-omic studies. Key areas include:

• Metabolic flexibility and fuel switching
• Acetylation-driven enzyme regulation
• Animal models of insulin resistance (e.g., PPAR alpha-null, MKR mice)
• Systems biology approaches to diabesity

Publications Highlight: Dr. Kurland has contributed to seminal studies on Sirt6’s role in glucose homeostasis, lipogenesis regulation via CDK8, and the metabolic acetylome’s role in fuel switching. His work bridges basic research with translational applications, including patented methodologies like the hepatic recycling deuterated glucose tolerance test (HR-dGTT).

Labs/Teams: As director of the Stable Isotope Metabolomics Core, he oversees cutting-edge facilities for flux phenotyping and metabolomic analysis. Collaborations with labs such as Accili, Haeusler, and Mostoslavsky expand his research into integrative metabolic networks and epigenetic regulation.