Blake Rushing

Dr. Blake Rushing is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, affiliated with the Nutrition Research Institute in Kannapolis, North Carolina. He earned a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from East Carolina University in 2018, with a dissertation on detoxification mechanisms against aflatoxin B1-mediated carcinogenesis, and a BS in Chemistry from Catawba College in 2013, graduating with honors. His career trajectory includes postdoctoral positions at East Carolina University’s Department of Microbiology & Immunology (2018-2019) and the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (2019-2020), before advancing to his current role as Research Assistant Professor in 2020. He holds secondary appointments as Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (since 2022) and is a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (since 2023). As Associate Director of the Nutrition Research Institute’s Metabolomics and Exposome Laboratory, he contributes to NIH-funded initiatives such as the Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource and Nutrition for Precision Health, supporting multi-omics precision health projects.

Rushing’s research specializes in multi-omics approaches to uncover metabolic mechanisms driving cancer and chronic age-related diseases, utilizing techniques like liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to explore nutrient metabolism’s influence on disease progression, therapy resistance, and biomarkers. He leads pan-cancer studies integrating metabolomics with genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and lipidomics to identify dysregulated nutrient metabolism across cancer types, advancing precision oncology through novel pharmacological and nutritional strategies. Major funding includes a $3.9 million National Cancer Institute grant awarded in 2024 over five years to create the Human Cancer Metabolome Atlas. Select publications encompass “Untargeted metabolomics reveal signatures of a healthy lifestyle” (Scientific Reports, 2024), “Aflatoxin B1: A review on metabolism, toxicity, occurrence in food, occupational exposure, and detoxification methods” (Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2018), “Multi-omics analysis of NCI-60 cell line data reveals novel metabolic processes linked with resistance to alkylating anti-cancer agents” (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2023), and “Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Acylcarnitines as Major Metabolic Targets of Resveratrol in Breast Cancer Cells” (Metabolites, 2025). Honors include the Emerging Leader Award in Metabolomics Service Cores from the Metabolomics Association of North America (2024), NRI Research Development Award (2023), and UNC Nutrition Obesity Research Center Pilot and Feasibility Award (2023). He co-directs the course NUTR 714: Nutritional Biochemistry, Metabolism and Health and participates in departmental committees on diversity, equity, inclusion, and post-tenure review.

Professional Email: blake_rushing@unc.edu