Description of Research Expertise

Dr. Dunbar is interested in atherogenic dyslipidemia and its treatment, and has particular expertise in the mechanism of action and adverse effects of triglyceride-lowering drugs. He has worked with a variety of several novel triglyceride-lowering compounds, including niacin and novel niacin mimetics, fibrates and novel fibrates, novel fish oils, and a host of other emerging drugs: DGAT-1 inhibitor, MTP inhibitor, AngPTL3 inhibitor, ApoC3 inhibitor, a glitazar, and perhaps most uniquely, lipoprotein lipase gene replacement therapy. He also employs a variety of provoked outcomes in his research, such as oral fat tolerance testing with/without radiolabeled fat to trace chylomicrons, stable isotope lipoprotein kinetics, euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp, FSIVGTT, indocyanine green to test hepatic function, other nutrient challenges, and a variety of modalities to measure niacin-associated skin toxicity. A common theme of these is the concept that perturbing a system reveals more as an outcome than the steady state. His research focuses on translating pre-clinical findings into humans, and indeed works exclusively on patient-oriented, clinical research.