The research in our lab is centered around understanding how the mechanisms that evolved to regulate body temperature can be repurposed to combat obesity and metabolic diseases in humans. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is responsible for regulating body temperature through adaptive thermogenesis. Harnessing the potential of thermogenic adipocytes to enhance energy expenditure offers an effective strategy against obesity and metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and many cancers.
Our long-term vision is to pioneer strategies for rejuvenating thermogenic fat by preventing or reversing its age- and obesity-induced decline.
Development and remodeling of adipose tissue neuro-vasculature
Adipose depots undergo massive remodeling in response to chronic overnutrition, cold exposure, and exercise training. In these conditions, the outgrowth of adipose tissue is tightly linked with the expansion of the neurovascular structure. We leverage the innovative experimental and computational frameworks that we have developed to understand the pathways involved in the development and remodeling of adipose neuro-vasculature and study how perturbations in the adipose microenvironment contribute to metabolic dysfunction in obesity, aging, and cancer.
The role of adipose niche in determining adipocyte fate and function
The spatial organization of cells in tissues controls the signals they receive during development, remodeling, and in diseases. Using multiple species and measurement scales, we aim to identify the determinants of thermogenic adipocyte development within different genetic and environmental contexts.
Understanding How Thermogenic Fat Senses and Responds to Cold
Our previous work introduced a new paradigm for cold-induced thermogenesis that relies on a reserved pool of thermogenic adipocyte progenitors stimulated specifically in response to chronic cold. Building on this important discovery, we aim to determine the key intrinsic and extrinsic factors that govern the plasticity of adipose vascular smooth muscle cells and their contribution to the thermogenic adipocyte pool.
