Grant: Operating Grant

As obesity accounts for nearly 80% of type II diabetes, a disease that particularly affects an aging population it is important to understand mechanisms that lead to expansion of the bursting bulge. In particular, deposition of fat in the abdominal area is a high risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer during aging. This risk becomes greater in women after menopause when they lose some regulatory hormones like estrogens. In a genetically altered mouse that simulates sex hormonal imbalances prevailing during menopausal conditions we are able to explore genes and mechanisms that induce the so-called abdominal fatness. This model generated in Canada will be useful to investigate the relationship between early obesity and associated health adversities such as age related type II diabetes, lipid abnormalities, increase in blood pressure and cardiovascular risks that are collectively termed the "Metabolic Syndrome". Understanding the causes and revealing the role of new genes that we have discovered will help us define why fat tends to accumulate in certain depots in the body and the design of therapeutic interventions.