Science & Medicine Pioneer
David Moore
Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley
David Moore is a professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studies the diverse functions of members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily in health and disease. This superfamily includes the well-known steroid and thyroid hormone receptors, along with a larger number of proteins termed orphan receptors whose functions and cognate hormones were initially not known.
Moore's work has identified compounds that regulate the activity of several of the newer members of this family and elucidated their function. These studies have revealed that one of these new receptors, called CAR, functions in a chemical defense response that protects the body from potentially toxic foreign compounds, and may also be involved in the management of endogenous toxic products.
Moore has also characterized the functions of two other receptors, FXR and SHP, in cholesterol metabolism and identified a natural product that lowers LDL cholesterol levels as a specific FXR antagonist.
Moore’s research has also linked disruption in circadian rhythm to liver cancer in mice. “This experiment allowed us to take several threads that were already there and put them together to come to this conclusion,” said Moore in an interview with Daily Mail. “We think most people would be surprised to hear that chronic jet lag was sufficient to induce liver cancer.”
Moore is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a recipient of the Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Excellence in Research Award.