Grant: Early Career Investigator Awards

Obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are closely associated health problems that are major health and economic burdens in Ontario. Fat (or adipose tissue) grows massively with weight gain, and is recognized as a dynamic organ capable of regulating metabolism. The overall goal of this research program is to understanding the role of adipose tissue in metabolic disease to identify effective new treatment strategies for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Previous studies found that a signaling protein called caspase 8 increases in adipose tissue with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Targeting this protein by knocking it out in mice protects animals from weight gain and insulin resistance, a defining feature in type 2 diabetes. This proposals aims to understand the role of caspase 8 in inflammation and energy expenditure to determine if it could be a potential target for the treatment or prevention of obesity, diabetes or cardiovascular disease.