Dr. Amira Klip

Amira Klip pioneered critical studies of glucose and ion transport, key biological phenomena. Using cellular and molecular tools, she was the first to observe that insulin and exercise cause translocation of glucose transporters (GLUT) and Na/K-pumps to the surface of rodent and human muscle. She introduced muscle cell lines to study anti- diabetic drug action. She discovered: the participation of the enzyme Akt and the cytoskeleton in GLUT translocation; the key proteins involved in GLUT fusion with the cell surface; a bimodal regulation of GLUT biosynthesis by insulin and glucose. These discoveries have had major impact in the field of diabetes research.