blake_rushing@unc.edu
704-250-5089
Blake Rushing, PhD
Assistant Professor of Nutrition
Blake Rushing, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Nutrition Research Institute (NRI), where his lab applies multi-omics approaches to investigate the metabolic mechanisms underlying cancer and other chronic, age-related diseases. His research leverages analytical chemistry techniques such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to study how nutrient metabolism can inform disease progression, therapy resistance mechanisms, and biomarker development.
Currently, Dr. Rushing is leading pan-cancer projects that integrate metabolomics and other omics data (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics) to identify dysregulation of nutrient metabolism that is both common and unique across cancer types, and how this is linked to one’s genetic features. These efforts aim to advance precision oncology by uncovering new pharmacological and nutritional strategies for cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.
Dr. Rushing also serves as the Associate Director of NRI’s Metabolomics and Exposome Laboratory (MEL), where he supports single and multi-omics precision health projects as part of major NIH-funded initiatives, including the Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource (HHEAR) and Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH) programs. In this role, he also supports many additional metabolomics projects internal and external to UNC.
Dr. Rushing earned a BS in Chemistry from Catawba College and a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from East Carolina University. Dr. Rushing is also a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and holds and adjunct appointment in UNC’s Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.
Impact Report FY23
2023/24 Pilot and Feasibility Award Winners at NRI
The UNC Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) offers annual pilot and feasibility awards to support the development of innovative research in nutrition and obesity at UNC-Chapel Hill. P&F awards enable researchers to collect preliminary data that support a...
NRI Trainees Climbing the Ladder of Success
A core objective of the NRI is to provide training opportunities to the next generation of researchers in precision nutrition, including graduate and undergraduate students. These young researchers, selected from the tops of their classes, are mentored by the NRI’s...
North Carolina Research Campus team receives major NIH award for precision nutrition research
KANNAPOLIS, N.C., January 27, 2022 – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $19.2 million 5-year grant, pending the availability of funds, to a consortium of North Carolina university researchers who will apply cutting-edge analytical techniques to...
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Rajasekar AK, Miller GM, Motsinger-Reif A, Cui Y, Walker D, Makris K, Jarmusch A, Rushing BR, Juarez P, Hood D, Ramesh A, Mouton C, Soliman G, Chung MK. Establishing a Community of Practice for Exposomics. Exposome. 2023. Under Review
†Authors contributed equally to this work
2022
†Authors contributed equally to this work
†Authors contributed equally to this work
†Authors contributed equally to this work
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