Dr. Peter Tontonoz, the Frances and Albert Piansky Endowed Chair and distinguished professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and of biological chemistry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will receive the Basic Research Prize from the American Heart Association during its Scientific Sessions 2025, taking place on Nov. 7-10, 2025, in New Orleans.
A former Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a member of the National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Tontonoz has made important contributions to the understanding of cholesterol, fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism in the body. His laboratory work has helped uncover how the body keeps fat levels in balance, from individual cells to entire organ systems, helping scientists and doctors develop better treatments for heart disease, diabetes and other conditions.
Dr. Tontonoz has made groundbreaking discoveries that are reshaping how scientists understand and treat heart disease and metabolic disorders. He uncovered new ways the body regulates cholesterol, including finding a protein that controls how LDL (“bad”) cholesterol is removed from the blood—leading to potential therapies beyond statins. His research also revealed how metabolism and the immune system are linked, helping launch the field of immunometabolism. In addition, he identified enzymes that influence how the intestine and liver process fats, and more recently discovered a protein called Aster that helps move cholesterol inside cells and plays a key role in how the body absorbs dietary fat. Together, these findings are opening the door to more precise and effective treatments that could improve the lives of millions.
“Lipids such as cholesterol are critical determinants of cardiovascular disease, but there is still much to learn about how they affect the body. The mission of my work is to illuminate the intricate ways fat-related processes influence both normal tissue function and disease pathology in hopes of finding new ways to prevent or treat cardiovascular conditions,” Tontonoz said.
Beyond his many laboratory achievements, Dr. Tontonoz has mentored multiple scientists who now lead successful research groups throughout the scientific community. He also serves on several National Institutes of Health (NIH) study sections and on the editorial boards for several peer-review scientific journals, including the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Genes & Development.
