Joel D. Schilling, MD, PhD

Research Interests

Research is focused on understanding the role of inflammation in diabetic heart disease. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a critical role in host defense against pathogens, but they are also activated by noninfectious cellular stress, such as that which occurs in lipid overload, diabetes, and ischemia. My lab is using a combination of cell culture and in vivo models of heart failure and lipotoxic stress to define the mechanisms by which TLR-inflammatory pathways are activated and to address the functional consequences of these pathways in the development and progression of cardiomyopathy. Through this research we hope to create a platform for translational studies involving human subjects with diabetes and heart failure. Ultimately, this work aspires to identify novel targets for treating, and perhaps preventing, heart failure in patients with diabetes.