Agricultural and Life Sciences (IFAS)
Cheng Lab
Led by Zhiyong Cheng · Food Science and Human Nutrition
What we study
The lab studies how cellular processes like autophagy and FoxO regulate metabolism in obesity and diabetes. They explore epigenetic pathways and environmental factors to develop treatments for metabolic disorders.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Mice
- Coding helps
- Projects
- 2
- Papers
- 5
What we're looking for
“Dr. Cheng’s lab welcomes motivated students to apply for (a) graduate assistantship positions, and (b) undergraduate research training positions.”
Current projects
Regulatory network of FoxO and autophagy
The lab studies how FoxO and autophagy mediate adipose development and expansion.
A Liver-Fat Crosstalk for Iron Flux During Healthy Beiging of Adipose Tissue
The lab investigates how the liver and fat tissue communicate to move iron during a healthy change in fat cells called beiging. Students will study mice that lack a specific gene to see how iron moves and how fat cells use mitochondria.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 188
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Moderate iron restriction improves metabolism via epigenetic regulation of GDF15
2026 · The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry
- Hepatocyte FAM210A deficiency disrupts mitochondrial function and triggers juvenile steatosis with compensatory repair in adulthood
2026 · Communications Biology
Shows that a missing gene in liver cells causes fat buildup and weakens energy production.
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- Metabolic stress exacerbates Ca 2+ dysregulation and arrhythmias in catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia
2026 · Experimental Physiology
Tests whether metabolic stress worsens heart rhythm problems in people with CPVT.
- The emerging role of artificial intelligence in personalized nutrition
2026 · UF Journal of Undergraduate Research
Explores how AI can help tailor diets to individual health needs.
- Ablation of mitochondrial calcium uniporter alleviates cardiac dysfunction in type 1 diabetes
2025 · Cell Calcium
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Zhiyong Cheng hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.