Obesity is fast becoming one of the most important public health problems. With now 1 billion people affected worldwide, this has increased the prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome, risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes.
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Obesity is fast becoming one of the most important public health problems. With now 1 billion people affected worldwide, this has increased the prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome, risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes.

Treating obesity is a real challenge in an environment with increased consumption of unhealthy, calorific foods and reduced need for physical activity. However, unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying the accumulation of adipose tissue will aid in the identification of targets to reduce fat mass. It is now becoming apparent that adipose tissue, once thought to be a passive storehouse for fat, is a metabolically active organ capable of regulating whole body energy balance. This may be in part mediated by its obvious role in lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity, but also by numerous secreted adipose tissue factors, adipokines, which have recently been revealed as key players in metabolic function.

My research aims to gain greater understanding of the link between adiposity and metabolic disease, utilizing various techniques including in vivo metabolic testing of small laboratory animals, clinical biochemistry, and protein/gene expression analysis. [Hide detail]