Robert C. Bauer, PhD

  • Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences (in Medicine)
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Overview

Dr. Robert C. Bauer received a BA from Columbia University in Biological Studies, and a PhD in Genetics and Gene Regulation from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Bauer remained at the University of Pennsylvania for his postdoctoral studies, focusing of novel genes implicated by human genetics in lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. Dr. Bauer returned to Columbia University to begin his own independent research program, where he is one of the founding members of the Cardiometabolic Genomics Program in the Division of Cardiology at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. His lab remains broadly focused on human genetics and functional genomics of cardiometabolic disease, with specific projects centering on tissue-specific regulation of lipid metabolism by pseudokinases, and vascular cell contributions to atherosclerosis.

The Bauer Lab maintains a strong interest in training the next generation of cardiometabolic translational scientists, and potential students and trainees are encouraged to reach out for potential opportunities to work in the lab. Dr. Bauer can be contacted at rcb36@columbia.edu.

Academic Appointments

  • Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences (in Medicine)

Gender

  • Male

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • BA, 2003 Biology, Columbia University
  • PhD, 2010 Genetics and Gene Regulation, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Committees, Societies, Councils

  • Member, American Heart Association
  • Member, AHA Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
  • Member, ATVB Early Career Committee
  • Member, American Society of Human Genetics
  • Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Research

The Bauer Lab uses a mix of molecular biology, animal physiology, and functional genomics to translate human genetics studies into actionable biological mechanisms, with a specific focus on cardiometabolic traits. Current work in the lab includes continued research into the roles of the Tribbles-1 (TRIB1) pseudokinase in regulating plasma lipid metabolism in the liver and adipose tissue, exploring the role of TRIB1 in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, development of novel therapeutics targeting Tribbles-1 activity, and understanding the effects of common DNA variation on nearby gene expression through functional genomics (i.e. ATAC-Seq, CRISPR/Cas9 screen, etc). Other ongoing projects include studies on the metalloprotease ADAMTS7 in atherosclerosis, the contribution of adventitial cells to atherosclerotic plaques, CRISPR screens for identifying novel regulators of lipid droplet formation, and functional genomics of cardiometabolic GWAS loci.

Selected Publications

  1. Ha EE, Van Camp AG, Bauer RC. "Novel Genes Identified in Lipoprotein Metabolism." Curr Opin Lipidol. 2019 June; 30:157-164.
  2. Jadhav KS, Bauer RC. "The Trouble with Tribbles-1: Elucidating the Genetics and Physiology of a GWAS locus." Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2019 June;39:998-1005.
  3. Johnston JM, Angyal A, Bauer RC, et al. “Myeloid Tribbles 1 promotes atherosclerosis by enhancing foam cell formation.” Sci Adv. 2019;5(10):eaax9183.
  4. Bauer RC, Tohyama J, Cui J, Cheng L, Yang J, Zhang X, et al. Knockout of Adamts7, a novel coronary artery disease locus in humans, reduces atherosclerosis in mice. Circulation. 2015 Mar 31;131(13):1202-13.
  5. Bauer RC, Sasaki M, Cohen DM, Cui J, Smith MA, Yenilmez BO, et al. Tribbles-1 regulates hepatic lipogenesis through posttranscriptional regulation of C/EBPα. J Clin Invest. 2015 Oct 1;125(10):3809-18.

For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov