University of Pennsylvania · BiologySeale Lab
Patrick Seale · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Patrick Seale's lab focuses on understanding how fat tissue changes during obesity and the impact this has on health. They study specific cells in fat tissue called mesenchymal progenitor cells, which can switch their roles and promote inflammation when the body is under stress from excess weight. This research is crucial for finding new ways to treat obesity-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
adipose tissuemesenchymal progenitor cellsobesitymetabolic healthinflammation
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate the role of the transcription factor SOX4 in cell fate switching of mesenchymal progenitor cells during obesity.
AIM 02Explore the function of Midkine in regulating immune cells in adipose tissue.
AIM 03Understand the remodeling process of adipose tissue in the context of obesity and its effects on metabolic health.
AIM 04Identify therapeutic targets to combat inflammation and metabolic diseases associated with obesity.
Skills the Lab Values
cell culturemolecular cloningWestern blotflow cytometryRNA sequencinggenetic manipulationimmunohistochemistryanimal models
Output against the department
Publications170top 39% of dept.404th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations29ktop 12% of dept.121st of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.