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Kavaljit H. Chhabra, M.Pharm., Ph.D.

Kavaljit H. Chhabra, M.Pharm., Ph.D.

Contact

Office (585) 273-4523
Administrative (585) 276-4994

Research Lab

About Me

Faculty Appointments

Assistant Professor - Department of Medicine, Endocrine/Metabolism (SMD)

Assistant Professor - Department of Pharmacology and Physiology (SMD) - Joint

Credentials

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Lab of Malcolm Low, MD, PhD. 2013 - 2018

Education

PhD | LSU Health Sciences Center. Pharmacology. 2013

MPharm | Gujarat University. Pharmacology. 2007

BPharm | Gujarat University. Pharmacy. 2005

Research

After obtaining Bachelor and Master of Pharmacy: Pharmacology degrees from Gujarat University in India, Dr. Chhabra moved to New Orleans to pursue a PhD at LSU Health in the Department of Pharmacology. Dr. Chhabra gained theoretical and experiential understanding of blood glucose regulation in Dr. E...
After obtaining Bachelor and Master of Pharmacy: Pharmacology degrees from Gujarat University in India, Dr. Chhabra moved to New Orleans to pursue a PhD at LSU Health in the Department of Pharmacology. Dr. Chhabra gained theoretical and experiential understanding of blood glucose regulation in Dr. Eric Lazartigues' lab, where he studied the role of pancreatic ACE2 in diabetes in mice. Dr. Chhabra was a recipient of a pre-doctoral fellowship, 2011-2013, from the American Heart Association in addition to other national recognitions such as Outstanding Abstract/Oral Presentation Awards by the American Physiological Society.
For his post-doctoral training, in 2013, Dr. Chhabra joined Dr. Malcolm Low's lab at the University of Michigan to study the function of the central melanocortin system in glucose homeostasis. Under Dr. Low's mentorship, Dr. Chhabra has identified the function of hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in glucose reabsorption via GLUT2, an insulin-independent mechanism of glucose regulation, which was highlighted in the March 2016 issue of Diabetes journal. Moreover, Dr. Chhabra has unraveled a reciprocal relationship between hypothalamic POMC and leptin for which he was awarded a Novel Disease Model Award by the American Physiological Society in 2016. Dr. Chhabra has further demonstrated the contribution of hypothalamic POMC in the regulation of basal sympathetic nervous system activity, which in turn is essential for normal glucose reabsorption.
Dr. Chhabra is a recipient of Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow and Outstanding Postdoctoral Teaching Awards by the University of Michigan. Most recently, Dr. Chhabra has received an Early Investigator Award by The Endocrine Society.
Dr. Chhabra's current research project on the contribution of hypothalamic melanocortin 4 receptor signaling in hypoglycemia counterregulation is funded by a K01 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Publications

Journal Articles

ADGRL1 is a glucose receptor involved in mediating energy and glucose homeostasis.

Chhabra KH, Bathina S, Faniyan TS, Samuel DJ, Raza MU, de Souza Cordeiro LM, Viana Di Prisco G, Atwood BK, Robles J, Bainbridge L, Davis A

Diabetologia.. 2023 September 15 Epub 09/15/2023.

A kidney-hypothalamus axis promotes compensatory glucose production in response to glycosuria.

Faniyan TS, Zhang X, Morgan DA, Robles J, Bathina S, Brookes PS, Rahmouni K, Perry RJ, Chhabra KH

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology.. 2023 September 5 Epub 09/05/2023.

The Acute Effects of a DASH diet and Whole Food, Plant-Based diet on Insulin Requirements and Related Cardiometabolic Markers in Individuals with Insulin-Treated Type 2 Diabetes.

Campbell TM, Campbell EK, Attia J, Ventura K, Mathews T, Chhabra KH, Blanchard L, Wixom N, Faniyan TS, Peterson DR, Harrington DK, Wittlin SD

Diabetes research and clinical practice.. 2023 July 5 :110814. Epub 07/05/2023.

Osmotic Minipump Implantation for Increasing Glucose Concentration in Mouse Cerebrospinal Fluid.

Raza MU, Chhabra KH

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE.. 2023 April 7 (194)Epub 04/07/2023.

Normal ?-Cell Expression Is not Required for Regulating Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion and Systemic Glucose Homeostasis in Mice.

Bathina S, Faniyan TS, Bainbridge L, Davis A, Chhabra KH

Biomolecules.. 2023 March 1613 (3)Epub 03/16/2023.

Loss of function of renal Glut2 reverses hyperglycaemia and normalises body weight in mouse models of diabetes and obesity.

de Souza Cordeiro LM, Bainbridge L, Devisetty N, McDougal DH, Peters DJM, Chhabra KH

Diabetologia.. 2022 March 15 Epub 03/15/2022.

Hypothalamic MC4R regulates glucose homeostasis through adrenaline-mediated control of glucose reabsorption via renal GLUT2 in mice.

de Souza Cordeiro LM, Elsheikh A, Devisetty N, Morgan DA, Ebert SN, Rahmouni K, Chhabra KH

Diabetologia.. 2020 October 14 Epub 10/14/2020.

Hypothalamic POMC deficiency increases circulating adiponectin despite obesity.

Yu H, Chhabra KH, Thompson Z, Jones GL, Kiran S, Shangguan G, Low MJ

Molecular metabolism.. 2020 May 35 :100957. Epub 02/07/2020.

Kilohertz Frequency Stimulation of Renal Nerves for Modulating Blood Glucose Concentration in Diabetic Rats

Jiman, AA.; Chhabra, KH.; Ratze, DC.; Lewis, AG.; Cederna, PS.; Seeley, RJ.; Low, MJ.; Bruns, TM.

IEEE Xplore. 2019; : 746 - 749.

Hypothalamic POMC or MC4R deficiency impairs counterregulatory responses to hypoglycemia in mice.

Tooke BP, Yu H, Adams JM, Jones GL, Sutton-Kennedy T, Mundada L, Qi NR, Low MJ, Chhabra KH

Molecular metabolism.. 2018 November 20 Epub 11/20/2018.

Electrical stimulation of renal nerves for modulating urine glucose excretion in rats

Ahmad A. Jiman; Kavaljit H. Chhabra; Alfor G. Lewis; Paul S. Cederna; Randy J. Seeley; Malcolm J. Low; Tim M. Bruns.

Bioelectronic Medicine. 2018; 4(7).

Electrical stimulation of renal nerves for modulating urine glucose excretion in rats.

Jiman AA, Chhabra KH, Lewis AG, Cederna PS, Seeley RJ, Low MJ, Bruns TM

Bioelectronic medicine.. 2018 4 :7. Epub 05/29/2018.

Reduced renal sympathetic nerve activity contributes to elevated glycosuria and improved glucose tolerance in hypothalamus-specific Pomc knockout mice.

Chhabra KH, Morgan DA, Tooke BP, Adams JM, Rahmouni K, Low MJ

Molecular metabolism.. 2017 October 6 (10):1274-1285. Epub 07/17/2017.

High-fat diet-induced glucose dysregulation is independent of changes in islet ACE2 in mice.

Chodavarapu H, Chhabra KH, Xia H, Shenoy V, Yue X, Lazartigues E

American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology.. 2016 December 1311 (6):R1223-R1233. Epub 11/02/2016.

Reprogramming the body weight set point by a reciprocal interaction of hypothalamic leptin sensitivity and Pomc gene expression reverts extreme obesity.

Chhabra KH, Adams JM, Jones GL, Yamashita M, Schlapschy M, Skerra A, Rubinstein M, Low MJ

Molecular metabolism.. 2016 October 5 (10):869-881. Epub 08/05/2016.

Hypothalamic POMC Deficiency Improves Glucose Tolerance Despite Insulin Resistance by Increasing Glycosuria.

Chhabra KH, Adams JM, Fagel B, Lam DD, Qi N, Rubinstein M, Low MJ

Diabetes.. 2016 March 65 (3):660-72. Epub 10/14/2015.

The transcription factor HNF1? induces expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in pancreatic islets from evolutionarily conserved promoter motifs.

Pedersen KB, Chhabra KH, Nguyen VK, Xia H, Lazartigues E

Biochimica et biophysica acta.. 2013 November 1829 (11):1225-35. Epub 10/05/2013.

Brain angiotensin-converting enzyme type 2 shedding contributes to the development of neurogenic hypertension.

Xia H, Sriramula S, Chhabra KH, Lazartigues E

Circulation research.. 2013 October 12113 (9):1087-1096. Epub 09/06/2013.

Angiotensin converting enzyme 2: a new important player in the regulation of glycemia.

Chhabra KH, Chodavarapu H, Lazartigues E

IUBMB life.. 2013 September 65 (9):731-8. Epub 07/29/2013.

Comment on: Takeda et al. Loss of ACE2 exaggerates high-calorie diet-induced insulin resistance by reduction of GLUT4 in mice. Diabetes 2013;62:223-233.

Chhabra KH, Lazartigues E

Diabetes.. 2013 July 62 (7):e9. Epub 1900 01 01.

Pancreatic angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 improves glycemia in angiotensin II-infused mice.

Chhabra KH, Xia H, Pedersen KB, Speth RC, Lazartigues E

American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism.. 2013 April 15304 (8):E874-84. Epub 03/05/2013.

Species-specific inhibitor sensitivity of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and its implication for ACE2 activity assays.

Pedersen KB, Sriramula S, Chhabra KH, Xia H, Lazartigues E

American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology.. 2011 November 301 (5):R1293-9. Epub 08/31/2011.