Launch of a pioneering translational research programme in Europe

– The TRIP initiative establishes three new joint laboratories that bring together fundamental biomedical research and clinical research with the aim of accelerating the delivery of results to patients.
– TRIP will focus on emerging fields such as immuno-oncology, inflammation, and cellular senescence.

Cooperation between muscle and liver circadian clocks, key to controlling glucose metabolism

Collaborative work by teams at the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS) ​​at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), University of California, Irvine (UCI), and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) has shown that interplay between circadian clocks in liver and skeletal muscle controls glucose metabolism.

Cancer cells rev up synthesis, compared with neighbors

Tumors are composed of rapidly multiplying cancer cells. Understanding which biochemical processes fuel their relentless growth can provide hints at therapeutic targets. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have developed a technology to study tumor growth in another dimension — literally. The scientists established a new method to watch what nutrients are used at which rates spatially throughout a tissue.

Wayne State researcher receives $1.95 million NIH grant to study impact of inositol homeostasis on essential cellular functions

A researcher from Wayne State University’s Department of Biological Sciences has received a five-year, $1.95 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to identify mechanisms that regulate inositol synthesis in mammalian cells and determine the cellular consequences of inositol depletion.

Study shows how to prevent a high-fat diet from throwing metabolism out of whack

Irvine, Calif., April 5, 2023 — Eating lots of fats increases the risk of metabolic disorders, but the mechanisms behind the problem have not been well understood. Now, University of California, Irvine biologists have made a key finding about how to ward off harmful effects caused by a high-fat diet. Their study appears in Nature Communications.

Hummingbirds use torpor in varying ways to survive cold temps

Hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of any animal. The tropical hummingbirds that live in the Andes Mountains in South America must expend considerable energy to maintain their high body temperatures in cold environments. One tool that they use to survive cold nights is called torpor, a hibernation-like state that allows them to ramp down energy consumption to well below what they normally use during the day.

A Novel Mechanism May Be Effective in Patients With Severe Hypertriglyceridemia and Prior Episodes of Acute Pancreatitis

A novel type of therapy, known as ANGPTL3 inhibitor therapy, was effective in lowering triglycerides in certain types of patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG) who had a prior episode(s) of acute pancreatitis. sHTG is a well-established risk factor for recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis. These high-risk patients were the focus of a phase 2 study that was led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and sponsored and funded by Regeneron.

Vitamin A May Protect Heart from Some Effects of Obesity

Research in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity found greater disruption to genes involved in heart function when coupled with vitamin A deficiency. The study is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology. It was chosen as an APSselect article for January.

Today: ANA2022 Media Roundtable to Spotlight Latest in Neuro Research

As the American Neurological Association’s 147th Annual Meeting wraps up today, October 25, the ANA is holding a Media Roundtable at 11 a.m. U.S. Central for reporters to access the latest developments in neurology and neuroscience.

Machine learning creates opportunity for new personalized therapies

Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center have developed a computational platform that can predict new and specific metabolic targets in ovarian cancer, suggesting opportunities to develop personalized therapies for patients that are informed by the genetic makeup of their tumors. The study appeared in Nature Metabolism.

From cavefish to humans: Evolution of metabolism in cavefish may provide insight into treatments for a host of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke

New research examines how cavefish developed unique metabolic adaptations to survive in nutrient-scarce environments. The study created a genome-wide map of liver tissue for two independent colonies of cavefish along with river fish to understand how cavefish metabolism evolved and how this may be applicable for humans.

New UK Study Offers Insight on How Resistance Training Burns Fat

Findings from a new University of Kentucky College of Medicine and College of Health Sciences study add to growing evidence that resistance exercise has unique benefits for fat loss.

The Department of Physiology and Center for Muscle Biology study published in the FASEB Journal found that resistance-like exercise regulates fat cell metabolism at a molecular level.

Patients Report Long-Term Favorable Effects of Weight Loss Surgery in Their Daily Lives

A new analysis from the STAMPEDE trial shows that over the course of five years, patients who had bariatric and metabolic surgery to treat uncontrolled type 2 diabetes reported greater physical health, more energy, less body pain, and less negative effects of diabetes in their daily lives, compared with patients who had medical therapy alone for their diabetes.

Long-term changes in psychosocial and emotional quality of life measures were not significantly different between the surgical and medical groups. The research was published in the Annals of Surgery.

Spontaneous Mammary Neoplasia, Cannabidiol Exposure, Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptors, and More Featured in July 2021 Toxicological Sciences

Toxicological Sciences delivers the latest toxicology research in the July 2021 issue. The issue features investigations in delivers the latest toxicology research in areas such as exposure to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, effects of ENDS vapors on amino acid metabolism, and more.

Glioblastoma study discovers protective role of metabolic enzyme, revealing a novel therapeutic target

MD Anderson researchers have discovered a new role for the metabolic enzyme, MCAD, in glioblastoma. The enzyme prevents toxic fatty acid accumulation, in addition to its normal role in energy production, and targeting MCAD led to irreversible damage and cell death specifically in cancer cells.

Researchers find that blocking a protein in liver cells protects against insulin resistance and fatty liver disease

A new multi-institution study led by a team of researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine demonstrated that blocking a protein called ABCB10 in liver cells protects against high blood sugar and fatty liver disease in obese mice. ABCB10 activity also prompted insulin resistance in human liver cells.

Cancer has ripple effect on distant tissues

A new study with zebrafish shows that a deadly form of skin cancer — melanoma — alters the metabolism of healthy tissues elsewhere in the body. The research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that these other tissues could potentially be targeted to help treat cancer.“Tumors rely on a constant supply of nutrients to grow.

Experts mark the centennial anniversary of the discovery of insulin by highlighting the critical role adipose tissue has played in understanding insulin’s control of metabolism.

2021 marks 100 years since researchers identified insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates the amount of glucose, or sugar, in the blood.  Soon after, insulin was shown to be effective in lowering blood glucose in humans with…

New study to probe how diet and metabolism influence the immune system

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Feb. 3, 2021) — A pair of scientists from Van Andel Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have been granted a three-year, $1.5 million Allen Distinguished Investigator award from The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, a division of the Allen Institute, to better understand how diet and metabolism influence the immune system’s ability to fight off threats such as infections.