Washington State University evolutionary biologist Joanna Kelley studies genetic adaptation to extreme environments: tropical fish that thrive in waters thick with hydrogen sulfide; an Antarctic midge which can survive brutally cold temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius; and now, the charismatic grizzly bear, a species that is insulin-resistant—a metabolic state similar to diabetes in humans—during hibernation but insulin-sensitive during its active season.
“They make this natural metabolic transition every spring and every fall without any negative health consequences, and we are trying to figure out how are they able to do that,” said Kelley. “The really big goal is finding a solution to diabetes in humans.”
Kelley, an associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences, recently won a $40,000 grant through WSU’s inaugural Cougar Cage competition to support her investigation into eight specific bear proteins that appear to play a role in reversing both obesity and insulin resistance.