Mariko Johnson, M.D.
Clinical Fellow
| Office Location: | Southwest Tower, 8th floor | |
| Mailing Address: |
Department of Internal Medicine Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipid Research Campus Box 8127 St. Louis, MO 63110 |
|
| Pager: | (314) 294-2744 | |
| Fax: | (314) 362-7641 | |
| E-mail address: |
 |
Biography
Mariko Johnson was born in New York but considers St. Louis home. She received a degree in biology from Harvard University in 1999 and then spent two years in France. She received her medical degree from Columbia University in 2005 and moved back to St. Louis to pursue a residency in internal medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. She has been a clinical endocrinology fellow since 2009.
Research Interests
I am currently working on a clinical trial exploring the effect of chloroquine on insulin resistance in patients with the metabolic syndrome. Interest in chloroquine as a potential treatment for the metabolic syndrome began with the observation that the genetic disease, ataxia telangiectasia, is associated with insulin resistance. Patients with ataxia telangiectasia lack working copies of an essential gene, ATM. Since ATM deficiency led to insulin resistance, it seemed likely that ATM Played a role in maintaining insulin sensitivity. Chloroquine, traditionally used as an anti-malarial medication, has been shown to activate ATM, improve insulin sensitivity, and improve parameters of the metabolic syndrome in mice. The current trial is hoping to demonstrate similar effects of chloroquine in humans.
Research Mentor
