Robert M. Badeau, Ph.D.

Research Focus and Background

My research focus is on understanding the molecular mechanisms driving the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic diseases including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. I am interested in the impact of bioactive and nutritional factors on the molecular expression levels of cell signaling and gene targets implicated in tissue-specific insulin sensitivity pathways. Currently, mechanisms involved in whole-body insulin resistance are more broadly studied, and key questions remain on how insulin resistance may affect the physiology in other tissues besides skeletal muscle, which typically accounts for approximately 70% of circulating glucose utilization. Affected tissues, as when their function is impaired due to impaired glucose metabolism and homeostasis, may significantly contribute to the negative systemic phenotype observed in individuals with insulin resistance. Therefore, we are studying molecular targets found in hepatic, intestinal, neuronal, and adipose tissues. Key outcomes to these studies include providing novel molecular evidence to support the development of natural nutritional interventions that could be selectively targeted specific tissues to improve insulin sensitivities in neuronal and hepatic tissues in individuals that are prediabetic before their insulin resistance indices become beyond conventional management.

In addition, studies assessing gut microbiome and bile acid metabolism changes before and after rapid-weight loss interventions are being conducted with global collaborators. Molecular expression levels of microbiota signatures will be evaluated as well as molecular targets involved in bile metabolism. The key outcomes to these studies will be to assess the interrelationship between the gut microbiome and bile acid metabolism with possibilities to improve human cardiometabolic profiles.

Select Publications:

Dadson P, Tetteh CD, Rebelos E, Badeau RM, Moczulski D. (2020) Underlying kidney diseases and complications for COVID-19: A review. Front. Med., 7, 1-6. 

Badeau RM, Honka MJ, Bucci M, Iozzo P, Eriksson JG, Nuutila P. (2017) Circulating docosahexaenoic acid associates with insulin-dependent skeletal muscle and whole body glucose uptake in older women born from normal weight mothers. Nutrients, 9, 110.  

Bucci M, Huovinen V, Guzzardi MA, Koskinen S, Raiko JR, Lipponen H, Ahsan S, Badeau RM, Honka MJ, Koffert J, Savisto N, Salonen MK, Andersson J, Kullberg J, Sandboge S, Iozzo P, Eriksson JG, Nuutila P. (2016) Resistance training improves skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity in elderly offspring of overweight and obese mothers. Diabetolgia, 59:77-86. 

Honka MJ, Bucci M, Andersson J, Huovinen V, Guzzardi MA, Sandboge S, Savisto N, Salonen MK, Badeau RM, Parkkola R, Kullberg J, Iozzo P, Eriksson JG, Nuutila P. (2016) Resistance training enhances insulin suppression of endogenous glucose production in elderly women. J. Appl. Physiol. 5:120:633-639.  

Bucci M, Karmi AC, Iozzo P, Fielding BA, Viljanen A, Badeau RM, Borra R, Lepomäki V, Pham T, Hannukainen JC, Haaparanta-Solin M, Viljanen T, Parkkola R, Frayn KN, Nuutila P. (2015) Enhanced fatty acid uptake in visceral adipose tissue is not reversed by weight loss in obese individuals with the metabolic syndrome. Diabetolgia, 58:158-164.  

Bucci M, Huovinen V, Guzzardi MA, Koskinen S, Raiko J, Lipponen H, Badeau RM, Sarja N, Salonen MK, Andersson J, Kullberg J, Sandboge S, Iozzo P, Eriksson JG, Nuutila P.  (2015) Maternal obesity and telomere length associate with skeletal muscle insulin resistance which is reversed by exercise training in elderly women. Diabetologia, 58. 

Badeau RM, Honka MJ, Immonen H, Hannukainen JC, Soininen P, Kangas AJ, Ala-Korpela M, Tontonoz P, Nuutila P. (2015) VLDL and HDL associate with hepatic glucose uptake, production, and the liver X receptor and its targets in morbidly obese before and after rapid weight-loss interventions. Atherosclerosis 241: e106. 

Solomäki SP, Kemppainen J, Aho H, Hohenthal U, Kain R, Koivuviita N, Badeau RM, Seppänen M, Silvoniemi A, Roivainen A, Pirilä L. (2014) Widespread vascular inflammation in a patient with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis as detected by positron emission tomography. European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 41:2167-2168. 

Vogel A, Scheidt HA, Feller SE, Metso J, Badeau RM, Tikkanen MJ, Wähälä K, Jauhiainen M, Huster D. (2014) The orientation and dynamics of estradiol and estradiol oleate in lipid membranes and HDL disc models. Biophysical Journal, 107:114-125.  

Huovinen V, Saunavaara V, Kiviranta R, Tarkia M, Honka H, Stark C, Laine J, Linderborg K, Tuomikoski P, Badeau RM, Knuuti J, Nuutila P, Parkkola R. (2014) Vertebral bone marrow glucose uptake is inversely associated with bone marrow fat in diabetic and healthy pigs: [18F]FDG-PET and MRI study. Bone, 61:33-38.  

Badeau RM, Honka M-J, Lautamäki R, Stewart M, Kangas AJ, Soininen P, et al. (2014) Systemic metabolic markers and myocardial glucose uptake in type 2 diabetic and coronary artery disease patients treated for 16-weeks with Rosiglitazone, a PPARγ agonist. Annals of Medicine, 46:18-23.  

Badeau RM, Metso J, Kovanen PT, Lee-Rueckert M, Tikkanen MJ, Jauhiainen M. (2013) The impact of gender and serum estradiol levels on HDL-mediated reverse cholesterol transport. European Journal of Clinical Investigation, 43:317-323.  

Klingenberg R, Gerdes N, Badeau RM, Gisterå, A, Strodthoff D, Ketelhuth DF, Lundberg AM, Rudling M, Nilsson SK, Olivecrona G, Zoller S, Lohmann C, Lüscher TF, Jauhiainen M, Sparwasser T, Hansson GK. (2013) Depletion of FOXP3+ regulatory T cells promotes hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.  The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 123:1323-1334.