Ya-Xiong Tao
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Dr. Tao Ya-Xiong
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Dr. Ya-Xiong Tao is a tenured Professor at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. He obtained his MS degree from Sun Yat-sen University mentored by Academician Haoran Lin, and his PhD degree from Institute of Zoology of Chinese Academy of Sciences mentored by Academician Chih-Ye Chang. His research focus is on the physiology, pharmacology and pathophysiology of G protein-coupled receptors, including gonadotropin receptors and neural melanocortin receptors. Since 2003, he has been systematically studying melanocortin-3 and -4 receptors that regulate energy homeostasis, including the molecular defects of naturally occurring mutations and potential therapeutic strategies. He was the first to demonstrate that small molecule ligands can serve as pharmacological chaperones to correct the misfolding in naturally occurring mutations in the melanocortin-4 receptors. He has also expanded his studies on pig, dog and fish receptors. He has published more than 90 papers in SCI-indexed journals, with two comprehensive review articles published in Endocrine Reviews in 2010 and 2014, respectively. He has edited six volumes, all published by Elsevier. He is serving on the editorial boards of several journals, including Biochimica et Biophysica Acta – Molecular Basis of Diseases and Frontiers in Endocrinology. He has served as peer reviewer for more than 60 journals. He has reviewed grants for multiple agencies, including American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, and Italian Ministry of Health. He has taught several courses for undergraduate, graduate, and veterinary students, including Physiology, Receptorology, Endocrinology, Molecular Endocrinology, and Genomics and Personalized Medicine.