Obesity is a medical condition defined as the excessive accumulation of fat that presents a risk to human health. Health hazards associated with obesity include heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Worldwide adult obesity has more than doubled since 1990, and adolescent obesity has quadrupled. Although lifestyle modifications are the most straightforward way to control weight, a large portion of the population may not be able to rely on this modality alone.
During my first residence at STIAS in 2015, I presented some of the approaches followed by my laboratory to investigate this problem, based on studies of the ALK7 protein, a highly abundant receptor molecule in rodent and human adipocytes that is a key regulator of fat metabolism and plasticity. Major advances have taken place in the past 9 years in the field as a whole, the best known of these being the development and clinical application of GLP-1 agonists.
In my 2024 residence, I plan to do a survey of the recent history and current status of the field of GLP-1 agonists as well as how this may intersect with my own work on the ALK7 receptor. In my presentation, I will summarize recent advances from my laboratory in understanding ALK7 function in adipose tissue, including why we believe that strategies aiming at suppressing ALK7 activity may complement therapies based on GLP-1 agonists in the treatment of human obesity.
