Wai-Nang Paul Lee, M.D.

Wai-Nang Paul Lee, M.D.
Chief, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Professor of Pediatrics

Certifications:

American Board of Pediatrics, General Pediatrics
American Board of Pediatrics, Pediatric Endocrinology

Education and Professional Training:

1963-1966 University of California, Berkeley, B.A. in Biochemistry.
1966-1971 Stanford University, M.D.
1971-1972 Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio. Pediatric Internship.
1972-1973 Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital-Case Western Reserve University Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, Pediatric Residency.
1973-1974 USC-LAC Medical Center, Pediatric Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, Pediatric Residency.
1974-1976 University of California at Los Angeles, Fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology.
1982-1986 California State University, Northridge, MBA.

Honors:

Phi Beta Kappa, University of California, Berkeley, California.
Graduated with Honor in Biochemistry, 1966.
Beta Gamma Sigma, California State University, Northridge, 1986.

Academic Appointment:
1976-1984 Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (UCLA).
1984-1992 Associate Professor of Pediatrics (UCLA).
1992-present Professor of Pediatrics (UCLA).

Activities:

My area of research is in metabolic phenotyping or metabolic profiling. Metabolic profiling is part of bioinformatic research which is going to have significant impact on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Stable isotope (carbon 13 or deuterium) labeled lactate, glycerol and acetate are used to trace metabolic pathways for gluconeogenesis, glycogen synthesis, TCA cycle metabolism and lipid synthesis. The label in metabolic products such as amino acids, membrane lipids and necleic acids will be analyzed by mass spectrometry and determine the rate of conversion.

Currently, such techniques are applied to characterize the metabolic profile of mouse models of diabetes and to study the function of peroxisome, a cell body which is the alternative site for oxidation of fatty acids. Information from such studies can be used for evaluation of candidate drugs and efficacy of current treatments.

Selected Publications:

1. Ramos-Montoya A, Lee WN, Bassilian S, Lim S, Trebukhina RV, Kazhyna MV, Ciudad CJ, Noe V, Centelles JJ, Cascante M. Pentose phosphate cycle oxidative and nonoxidative balance: A new vulnerable target for overcoming drug resistance in cancer. Int J Cancer.119(12):2733-41, 2006.

2. Xu J, Lee WN, Phan J, Saad MF, Reue K, Kurland IJ. Lipin deficiency impairs diurnal metabolic fuel switching. Diabetes. 2006 55(12): 3429-38.85.

3. Vo TD, Lim SK, Lee WNP, and BO Palsson. Isotopomer Analysis of Cellular Metabolism in Tissue Culture: A Comparative study between the pathway and network-based methods. Metabolomics 2:243-256, 2006.

4. Xu J, Gowen L, Raphalides C, Hoyer KK, Weinger JG, Renard M, Troke JJ, Vaitheesyaran B, Lee WN, Saad MF, Sleeman MW, Teitell MA, Kurland IJ. Decreased hepatic futile cycling compensates for increased glucose disposal in the Pten hetero-deficient mouse. Diabetes 2006 55(12):3372-80.

5. Selivanov VA, Marin S, Lee PW, Cascante M. Software for dynamic analysis of tracer-based metabolomic data: estimation of metabolic fluxes and their statistical analysis. Bioinformatics. 22(22):2806-12, 2006.

6. Rehan VK, Wang Y, Sugano S, Santos J, Patel S, Sakurai R, Boros LW, Lee WP, Torday JS. In utero nicotine exposure alters fetal rat lung alveolar type II cell proliferation, differentiation, and metabolism. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 292(1):L323-33, 2007.

7. Bartnik BL, Hovda DA, Lee WNP. Glucose Metabolism after Traumatic Brain Injury: Estimation of Pyruvate Carboxylase and Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Flux by Mass Isotopomer Analysis. J Neurotrauma 24: 181-194, 2007.

8. Centelles JJ, Ramos-Montoya AF, Lim SK, Bassilian S, Boros LG, Marín S, Cascante M, WN P Lee. Stable isotope tracer based quantitation and pathways of deoxyribose synthesis: Implications for de novo DNA synthesis and repair in HepG2 cells. Metabolomics 3:105-112, 2007.

9. Dusick J; Glenn T; Lee W-N; Vespa P; Kelly D; Lee S; Hovda D; Martin N. Increased Pentose Phosphate Pathway Flux Following Clinical Traumatic Brain Injury: A [1,2-13C2]-Glucose Labeling Study in Humans. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism (2007), 1–10.

10. Vo TD, Lee WNP, and Palsson BO. Systems analysis of energy metabolism elucidates the affected respiratory chain complex in Leigh’s syndrome. Mol Genet Metab. 2007; 91(1): 15-22.
11. Thamotharan M, Garg M, Oak S, Rogers LM, Pan G, Sangiorgi F, Lee PW, Devaskar SU. Transgenerational inheritance of the insulin-resistant phenotype in embryo-transferred intrauterine growth-restricted adult female rat offspring. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2007, 292(5):E1270-9.

12. Xiao G, Garg M, Lim S, Wong D, Go VL, WN P Lee Determination of Protein Synthesis Using in vivo Deuterium Labeling and Analysis of MALDI-TOF Spectrum. J. Appl. Physiol. 2008; 104(3):828-36.

13. Yee JK, Lim S, Mao CS, Sugano S, Rehan VK, Xiao G, Lee WNP. Compartmentalization of stearoyl-CoA desaturase enzyme-1 activity in HepG2 cells. J. Lipid Res (In press, 2008).

14. Shiraishi S, Lee WN P, Leung A, Goh, VHH, Swerdloff RS, Wang C. Simultaneous Measurement of Serum Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry. Submitted to Clinical Chemistry (in press 8/08).

15. Wang C, Shiraishi S, Leung A, Baravarian S, Hull L, Goh V, Lee PW, Swerdloff RS. Validation of a Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Assay: Interference and Comparison with Established Methods. Steroid (in press 5/08).