Darlene E. Berryman
Showed that growth hormone reshapes fat tissue in a depot-specific way that links body composition to metabolic aging
BS Biology, University of Virginia (1988) · PhD Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University (1994) · Registered & Licensed Dietitian (2001) · Professor of Biomedical Sciences & Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
In LIST2026, two-year-old mice expressing a GH receptor antagonist lived longer and were less frail — but also had increased adiposity, reflecting Berryman's long-running argument that fat tissue quality/distribution, not just quantity, drives metabolic outcomes under altered GH signaling. In DUR2026, adult-onset GH receptor deletion improved insulin sensitivity in males, and single-cell liver sequencing revealed sex-dimorphic remodeling.
Trained as a nutritional scientist at Cornell after a biology degree at UVA, she later earned dietetic credentials — unusual among molecular biologists. She built her program on how GH excess/deficiency reshapes adipose tissue.
She now serves as Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and has held interim leadership of the renamed Institute for Molecular Medicine and Aging.
Milestones in the Atlas
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | A | Growth Hormone Receptor Antagonism Extends Lifespan LIST2026 Contributes body-composition/frailty phenotyping showing lifespan-extending GH receptor antagonism paradoxically increases adiposity even while improving frailty markers. |
| 2026 | A | Midlife Growth Hormone Receptor Ablation Extends Healthy Lifespan and Induces Sex-Specific Hepatic Transcriptional Changes at Single-Cell Resolution DUR2026 Co-authors single-cell liver transcriptomics showing sex-specific metabolic remodeling after adult-onset GH receptor deletion. |