Victor Rusu

Principal at Apple Tree Partners

PhD Graduate Student
2012 - 2017
- Identified molecular mechanisms through which mutations in a previously uncharacterized gene, SLC16A11, increase type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. These mutations are among the largest known T2D risk factors. - Characterized function of SLC16A11 and impact of T2D-associated mutations using unbiased methods: metabolomics, RNA-sequencing, proteomics, and ChIP-sequencing. - Used targeted biochemical assays to demonstrate the impact of T2D-associated coding mutations on SLC16A11 binding to a chaperone protein and the resulting effects on cellular localization. - Used gene expression studies, allelic imbalance assays, and reporters to investigate impact of T2D-associated noncoding mutations on SLC16A11 gene regulation. - Performed functional experiments in primary human hepatocytes investing role of SLC16A11 in metabolism.