Janos Zemplini in his Leverton Hall lab. USDA funding supports Zempleni research on breastmilk consumption and brain development. June 16, 2023. Photo by Craig Chandler / University Communication.
Since joining the University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty in 2001, Janos Zempleni, PhD, has uncovered groundbreaking connections between nutrition and disease, transforming lives in Nebraska and across the world.
Dr. Zempleni first received tobacco settlement funds in 2003 as seed funding for his work in epigenetic regulation and identifying novel modifications of histones and their roles in cell biology. He received additional funding in 2004 to support his lab setup and again in 2011 to support his retention. Another key investment
of tobacco settlement funds was made in 2009 to launch the Nebraska Gateway to Nutrigenomics group, which provided a foundation for a deeper research focus in nutrition and epigenetics and facilitated faculty collaborations across campuses to leverage the University of Nebraska system’s collective strengths.
Tobacco settlement fund investments have also been key in enabling UNL to compete for, and sustain, all three phases of the National Institutes of Health-funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), which established the Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases (NPOD) in 2014.
NPOD has become an internationally distinctive research hub, with a focus on using bioactive compounds in foods to prevent, treat and cure obesity-related diseases including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
With roughly 40% of Americans and Nebraskans suffering from obesity-related illnesses, the center’s work is critical to improving health and well-being across the state. Under Dr. Zempleni’s leadership, the center aims to devise solutions that use naturally occurring compounds – such as choline, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids – to prevent, treat and cure obesity-related diseases. The center also studies the many factors that influence metabolism and metabolic regulation.
One of NPOD’s focus areas has been conducting obesity intervention studies in underserved populations in western Nebraska and in Native American communities. The center aims to devise solutions that are both consumer friendly and economically feasible.
Fifty-nine faculty members from 26 departments at UNL, the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha contribute to NPOD’s success. In September 2024, NPOD received a third round of NIH COBRE to solidify the center’s research base for continued success. The center also prides itself on providing excellent educational opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students.
In addition to his NPOD work, Dr. Zempleni and his team pioneered a new line of discovery and was the first research team to demonstrate that milk-derived exomes are bioavailable and can help regulate genes and metabolism in the humans and animals who consume milk. This research shows promise to improve scientists’ understanding of infant nutrition, cognitive development and gut bacteria. Nebraska researchers also are exploring how milk-transported siRNA genes could be used to shut down the growth of the IDH1 gene, whose mutations result in brain tumors.
Dr. Zempleni is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences and is listed among the top 2% of most-cited researchers worldwide, leaving an indelible mark on the field and improving health outcomes for countless people across the U.S. and worldwide.