Dr. Gelhaus has worked in the field of bioactive fatty acids (oxylipins) for almost 20 years. Her main lines of research focus on the (1) formation and signaling of electrophilic fatty acids and (2) electrophiles as novel therapeutics. Through the course of investigating electrophiles as therapeutics for obesity-associated asthma she has developed an interest in (3) how dysregulated systemic metabolism impacts lung function.
Formation and signaling of electrophilic fatty acids Key contributions and ongoing areas of investigation include: (1) biological activity of α, β-unsaturated ketones (2) determining enzyme activity of short chain dehydrogenases, (3) the formation and signaling of specialized pro-resolving mediators and (4) the signaling and therapeutic efficacy of nitro-fatty acids in diseases with inflammatory and metabolic components.