Visiting Senior Research Scientist

Dr. Dominic D’Agostino is a Visiting Senior Research Scientist at IHMC and an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.

His laboratory develops and tests metabolic therapies for CNS oxygen toxicity (seizures), epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases, brain and metastatic cancer.

The main focus of his lab over the last five years has been understanding the anticonvulsant and neuroprotective mechanism of the ketogenic diet and ketone esters. The shift in brain metabolism (from glucose to ketones) reduces neuronal hyperexcitability, oxidative stress and enhances brain metabolism. This approach can be used to treat a wide variety of neuropathologies linked pathophysiologically to metabolic dysregulation, including cancer.

Other areas of interest include the researching drugs that target specific metabolic pathways that target cancer metabolism. His research is supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Department of Defense (DoD), private organizations and foundations.