Grant: Project Grant

Over 25% of Canadians are obese. Obesity causes serious health complications including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which is an important risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Our laboratory recently discovered that inhibiting the synthesis of serotonin outside the brain induces sustained and effective weight loss and reduces liver fat in obese rodents by turning fat into a metabolically active organ that burns lots of calories. This type of fat is known as brown and/or beige fat. The purpose of this proposal is to characterize how serotonin blocks the metabolic activity of brown/beige adipose tissue so that we can develop new specific drugs that may be used to treat obesity.