Fat Metabolism

Metabolic disturbances caused by excessively high calorie diets, lack of exercise or disturbed chronobiology can lead to a multimorbid state known as the metabolic syndrome. Associated conditions such as obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Cancer patients also suffer from metabolic imbalances and impaired fat metabolism, which often lead to cachexia, a life-threatening emaciation that is characterized by lipid wasting.

The BioHealth research area "Energy & Lipid Metabolism" therefore focuses on the molecular mechanisms and (patho)physiological effects of fat or lipid metabolism, especially in the context of obesity, the main risk factor for metabolic syndrome and related diseases. A better understanding of the exact functioning of lipids and their metabolism in different organs, for example in the heart or the liver, and its influence on pathological changes makes it possible to design counterstrategies and therapeutic approaches against lipid-associated disease. For this purpose, different cellular and animal models are used within BioHealth. Collaborations with national and international medical universities enable us to conduct clinical trials.

Currently, we are conducting research on the following topics:

• Characterization of enzymes involved in lipid metabolism, in particular new lipases that enable cells and organs to utilize fat reserves.
• Development of inhibitors of the "adipose triglyceride lipase" (ATGL) for the treatment of fatty liver disease, cachexia and type 2 diabetes.
• The metabolism of the amino acids methionine and homocysteine in the context of metabolic syndrome, obesity and type II diabetes.
• The interplay between lipid metabolism and regulation of cell-protective autophagy.
• Inter-organ communication to regulate lipid metabolism, the role of lipids as signaling agents and the metabolism of complex lipids such as sterols.
• Physiological and molecular adaptations of lipid metabolism to extreme environmental conditions.