University of Illinois Chicago · BiochemistryHay Metabolism Lab
Nissim Hay · Chicago, Illinois
Research Focus
Dr. Nissim Hay's lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago focuses on understanding the role of Hexokinase 2 (HK2) in liver fibrosis and liver cancer. The lab investigates how HK2 contributes to the metabolic changes in liver cells during disease and looks for ways to leverage this knowledge for new treatments. Additionally, they explore HK2's role in cancer cell metabolism and its potential as a therapeutic target in various cancers.
Hexokinase 2liver fibrosisNASHhepatocellular carcinomacancer metabolismglycolysistumor microenvironmentimmunotherapy
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the mechanism by which HK2 regulates hepatic stellate cell activation.
AIM 02Explore the role of HK2 in liver fibrosis and its connection to NASH-induced HCC.
AIM 03Determine the effects of systemic HK2 deletion on cancer progression in mouse models.
AIM 04Examine HK2's non-glycolytic functions in cancer cell survival and metastasis.
AIM 05Assess the impact of HK2 on the tumor microenvironment and response to immunotherapy.
Skills the Lab Values
mouse modelscell cultureWestern blotRNA sequencinggenetic manipulationmetabolomicsimmunohistochemistryflow cytometry
Output against the department
Publications206top 39% of dept.156th of 402
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations35ktop 8% of dept.33rd of 402
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.