Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show Dr. Satchin Panda - Salk Institute for Biological Studies - Circadian Health, Wellness, and Aging
Dr. Satchidananda ("Satchin") Panda, is Professor, Regulatory Biology Laboratory, and Rita and Richard Atkinson Chair, at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California (https://www.salk.edu/scientist/satchidananda-panda/), where his research focuses on the circadian regulation of behavior, physiology and metabolism in model organisms and in humans. Dr. Panda is also a founding executive member of the Center for Circadian Biology at the University of California, San Diego (https://ccb.ucsd.edu/). With a PhD from The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, and his postdoctoral research at the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, San Diego, Dr. Panda’s laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of this biological clock (or circadian oscillator), which in most organisms coordinates behavior and physiology with the natural light-dark cycle. Among Dr. Panda's discoveries include a blue-light sensing cell type in the retina which entrains our master circadian clock, affects mood, and regulates the production of sleep hormone melatonin, as well as his discovery that maintaining a daily feeding-fasting cycle – popularly known as Time-restricted feeding (TRF) – can prevent and reverse metabolic diseases. Based on a feasibility study in humans, his lab is currently carrying out a smartphone based study (www.mycircadianclock.org) to assess the extent of circadian disruption among adults. Dr. Panda's laboratory uses genetic, genomics and biochemical approaches to identify genes under circadian regulation in different organs and to understand the mechanisms of such regulation. Dr. Panda is also a Pew Biomedical Scholar, a recipient of the Julie Martin Mid-Career Award in Aging Research, is extensively published in the scientific literature, and is also the author of the books: The Circadian Code: Lose Weight, Supercharge Your Energy, and Transform Your Health from Morning to Midnight and The Circadian Diabetes Code: Discover the Right Time to Eat, Sleep, and Exercise to Prevent and Reverse Prediabetes and Diabetes.