Novel regulation of lipid metabolism

Elevated lipid levels are highly prevalent in todays' society, putting individuals at increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In particular, approximately one in three individuals exhibit elevated levels of cholesterol and a similar incidence has been observed for elevated triglyceride levels. These excess lipids can be deposited in tissues where they mediate a variety of pathological effects. In the liver and skeletal muscle they can promote the onset of insulin resistance; in the heart they can lead to cardiomyopathy and in the vasculature they can precipitate atherosclerotic lesion formation. Whilst drugs are available for the treatment of dyslipidaemia, many individuals experience side effects with current therapies. Furthermore, others require additional therapies to further lower lipid levels. Thus, we need to identify novel regulators of lipid metabolism that have the potential to be targeted for therapeutic intervention.

The research of the Lipid Metabolism and Cardiometabolic Disease Laboratory focuses on preventing the onset of cardiometabolic disease driven by excess lipids. Our research program spans across a number of different disease states in various metabolic tissues with the common underlying theme of preventing lipid-induced disease. These studies combine a wide range of in vitro approaches with a particular focus on molecular and cellular biology together with unique genetically modified mouse models to study in vivo pathophysiology.