Obesity is associated with type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. These inter-related diseases reduce life expectancy and their treatments come at an enormous financial cost. The overriding aim of this work is to understand the molecular and cellular regulation of lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle, liver and adipose tissue, and how this impacts endocrine function to affect the pathogenesis of types 2 diabetes and prostate cancer.
I am a cell /whole body integrative biologist determining the cellular and molecular mechanisms that lead to insulin resistance in insulin sensitive tissues such as skeletal muscle, liver and adipose tissue. My work primarily focuses on targeting inflammatory signalling cascades that lead to impaired insulin action, and pathways that enhance energy utilization.
Lipidomics Of Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes And Cardiovascular Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$727,765.00
Summary
Obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are major health problems in Australia and result in many tens of thousands of deaths each year. Changes in our metabolism lead to an imbalance in lipids (fats) circulating in our blood (dyslipidemia) which contributes to the disease process. This project will characterise these changes in circulating lipids to develop new tests to identify those at greatest risk of disease so that early treatment can be provided.
The key goal of my research is to understand the role of protein phosphorylation in controlling metabolism, with a special emphasis on the structure and function of members of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway. This is important because the function and survival of all organisms is dependent on the dynamic control of energy metabolism, with energy demand matched to energy supply.
In patients predisposed to metabolic diseases, excessive fats get delivered to various tissues. About 10 to 15% are converted into sphingolipids, many of which have deleterious effects on tissue function. Blocking sphingolipid production prevents diabetes and most cardiovascular diseases in rodents. We seek to better understand these mechanisms and determine how the observations can be translated into new therapies and better clinical outcomes.
Prof Trevor Mori has held an NH&MRC Research Fellowship during 2008-2012. This grant will enable him to continue his research program into 2013-2017. Prof Mori is a biomedical research scientist. His research examines the role of diet and lifestyle on risk factors for cardiovascular disease. He also leads the cardiometabolic team examining risk factors in the Western Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Study.