Therapeutic targets for obesity and diabetes

Sonia Fernández Veledo

Fundació Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili del Hospital Universitari de Tarragona Joan XXIII, España

Obesity and metabolic diseases related to excess weight, such as type 2 diabetes, are a veritable 21st century epidemic whose prevalence is on the rise, despite preventive measures being widely known and potentially useful. This is causing huge impact on public health systems, with far reaching psychosocial consequences. However, up to now no treatment has been developed that is really cost-effective.

The identification of new mechanisms involved in weight control and glucose levels is essential. Addressing obesity and hyperglycaemia simultaneously represents an inescapable comprehensive therapeutic approach at this time, if we want to treat these conditions adequately.

This project sets out to propose a comprehensive vision of the process, with a design that encompasses from animal testing to studies at the bedside of patients suffering from obesity and diabetes. It introduces a new energy balance regulatory mechanism through a gut-tissue brain-adipose circuit controlled by succinate, a metabolite produced by gut microbiota. Understanding the involvement of this new system in the physiopathology of obesity and diabetes may lead to the development of new clinical tools and therapeutic approaches for the treatment of these metabolic diseases.

• Miguel López, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, España

• José-Manuel Fernández-Real, Institut D'Investigació Biomèdica De Girona (IDIBGI), España

Succinate/SUCNR1 axis: a novel target for anti-obesity therapies (METASUCC)

998.903 €