Defining the underpinnings of Neuropeptide Y (NPY)'s control of hunger and body fat
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Aberdeen
Department Name: Sch of Medicine, Medical Sci & Nutrition
Abstract
More than 60% of people in the UK are overweight or obese. The primary cause of excess body weight is the consumption of more food than the body requires, calories that are then stored in fat. The reason this is important is because poor diet and excess body fat commonly has a detrimental impact on health. The focus of this application is clarifying the biology behind food choice (why do we prefer cake to cabbage?), meal size and body fat accumulation. The brain represents the master coordinator of appetite, employing discrete interwoven circuits to continually appraise and respond to changes in energy availability. A principal node within this network is a brain chemical called brain Neuropeptide Y (Npy), which is a powerful hunger hormone. Therefore, a clear understanding of the precise mechanism through which Npy modulates how much food we eat and the types of food we choose is of intense interest. However, discoveries in this direction have been hindered by a lack of precise tools. Recent technological advances now provide a means to overcome this obstacle, affording a way to discover the location of crucial sources of the brain's Npy that influence our decisions about what foods we choose to eat and whether these calories are used or stored in body fat. We think that Npy within a brain region called the nucleus of the solitary tract performs this essential function. We believe Npy in this region does two things to make sure that we have enough calories on board. One, it increases hunger, food intake and a preference for high calorie foods. And two, it tells the body to store calories in fat so that we have a supply of energy later if we need it. Data generated thus far support this idea. Using a combination of state of the art techniques, we will test the function of this special source of Npy in hunger and body fat in the proposed research programme. This work is important because we believe we have found an essential way that the brain controls hunger and food choice. Moreover, we think we have uncovered a new way that the brain talks directly to body fat, telling it to either store or expend calories. We anticipate that these studies will provide fundamental insight into the biological underpinnings of appetite, food choice, body weight and body fat, findings relevant to the prevention and treatment of obesity.
Technical Summary
The national prevalence of obesity emphasises the need for a greater understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying intake and storage. Whilst genetic and pharmacological research have revealed that Neuropeptide Y (Npy) is a principal regulator of hunger and body weight, the specific sources of Npy mediating these behavioural and physiological processes has not been fully defined. On the basis of our preliminary data, we hypothesise the Npy subpopulation within the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) to be a critical component of the brain appetitive network that also initiates a programme of energy storage in adipose tissue by inhibiting lipolysis. We will test this hypothesis here by performing the first targeted manipulation of Npy NTS activity (activate/inactivate) and perform metabolic phenotyping (including food choice, meal size, energy expenditure and body weight/fat characterisation) to evaluate the physiological salience of Npy NTS in energy balance, body weight and energy storage in adipose tissue. We will also examine the brain circuit through which these effects are achieved by stimulating or inhibiting Npy NTS release specifically within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH) and employing CRISPR/Cas9 to knockdown the Npy 5 receptor exclusively within the PVH (Y5R PVH). These studies have the potential to clarify a new circuit through which the brain controls hunger and food choice. We also expect the research here to establish a novel brain circuit directly influencing energy storage in adipose tissue. Thereby, this programme of research will offer important insight into the discrete neuronal circuits governing appetite, food choice, body weight and body fat accumulation. Given the pervasiveness of obesity within the global community and the resulting socio-medical ramifications, deciphering the neuronal circuits governing the physiological control of ingestive behaviour and body fat is essential.
Planned Impact
Academic impact
Nutrition and health is a continually expanding area of research, in which the UK has arguably been at the forefront. In particular, the host environment, the Rowett Institute has been producing ground-breaking research in this area for over a century. Nutrition and obesity research are multi-disciplinary fields that encompasses neurobiology, physiology, pharmacology, genetics, the food sector and public health. This proposal therefore, has the potential to make a broad and significant academic impact, both within the UK and internationally, by furthering our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying ingestive behaviour, body fat accumulation and metabolic health/disease. In addition to advancing knowledge, the proposed research will provide important capacity building by training the field's scientific leaders of tomorrow to encourage the maintenance of the UK's leading position in this area of scientific research. This will provide the potential for expansion of our research findings into other relevant animal models and incorporation in broader neuroscience, genome editing, chemogenetic, pharmacological and genetic approaches. The research will also provide opportunities for improving teaching and learning of undergraduate and postgraduate students through seminars and research projects.
Economic and societal impacts
Obesity is a major health problem in the UK, accelerating death and poor diet-related ill health costs the UK £5.8 billion every year. Obesity substantially increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and many other medical diseases. Currently, only one drug is approved for long term obesity treatment in the UK, Ali, which is a lipase inhibitor. Given the prevalence of obesity worldwide and its health, societal, and economic implications, new treatments are a health imperative. In previous research, we pursued this conundrum by investigating the therapeutic mechanism of obesity medications withdrawn from clinical use due to off-target effects. We determined that the therapeutic mechanism of 5-HT medications is via activation of a discrete class of receptors 5-HT2Cs, expressed on a chemically defined population of neurons, pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) (e.g. Heisler et al., Science 2002; Xu et al., Neuron 2008; Xu et al., J. Neuroscience 2010). This work further stimulated and supported drug discovery efforts for 5-HT2C receptor agonists at multiple pharmaceutical companies, including Eisai. Eisai's compound, lorcaserin, was approved by the USA FDA and launched for obesity treatment in 2013. Further, we identified the 5-HT2C receptor is a mechanistically novel target for the treatment for type 2 diabetes (Zhou et al., Cell Metabolism 2007; Burke et al., Molecular Metabolism in press), a finding now replicated in patient populations. An advantage of the new chemogenetic technology that we are employing in this application is both regional and temporal refinement. We speculate that directly targeting brainstem Npy cells will provide an effective new pharmacological target for the treatment of obesity. Therefore, there may be opportunities for the commercialisation of new diagnostics (identifying individuals at risk of obesity) and therapeutics (targeting specific Npy neurons). The proposed research may inform and benefit the pharmaceutical sector through access to new knowledge, technology development and databases. Thus, it has the potential to enhance the knowledge economy and economic competitiveness of the UK. The research is also readily accessible to the general public, because of its immediate relevance to improving health and wellbeing and enhancing quality of life. The project therefore provides an excellent vehicle for increasing public engagement and understanding.
Nutrition and health is a continually expanding area of research, in which the UK has arguably been at the forefront. In particular, the host environment, the Rowett Institute has been producing ground-breaking research in this area for over a century. Nutrition and obesity research are multi-disciplinary fields that encompasses neurobiology, physiology, pharmacology, genetics, the food sector and public health. This proposal therefore, has the potential to make a broad and significant academic impact, both within the UK and internationally, by furthering our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying ingestive behaviour, body fat accumulation and metabolic health/disease. In addition to advancing knowledge, the proposed research will provide important capacity building by training the field's scientific leaders of tomorrow to encourage the maintenance of the UK's leading position in this area of scientific research. This will provide the potential for expansion of our research findings into other relevant animal models and incorporation in broader neuroscience, genome editing, chemogenetic, pharmacological and genetic approaches. The research will also provide opportunities for improving teaching and learning of undergraduate and postgraduate students through seminars and research projects.
Economic and societal impacts
Obesity is a major health problem in the UK, accelerating death and poor diet-related ill health costs the UK £5.8 billion every year. Obesity substantially increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and many other medical diseases. Currently, only one drug is approved for long term obesity treatment in the UK, Ali, which is a lipase inhibitor. Given the prevalence of obesity worldwide and its health, societal, and economic implications, new treatments are a health imperative. In previous research, we pursued this conundrum by investigating the therapeutic mechanism of obesity medications withdrawn from clinical use due to off-target effects. We determined that the therapeutic mechanism of 5-HT medications is via activation of a discrete class of receptors 5-HT2Cs, expressed on a chemically defined population of neurons, pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) (e.g. Heisler et al., Science 2002; Xu et al., Neuron 2008; Xu et al., J. Neuroscience 2010). This work further stimulated and supported drug discovery efforts for 5-HT2C receptor agonists at multiple pharmaceutical companies, including Eisai. Eisai's compound, lorcaserin, was approved by the USA FDA and launched for obesity treatment in 2013. Further, we identified the 5-HT2C receptor is a mechanistically novel target for the treatment for type 2 diabetes (Zhou et al., Cell Metabolism 2007; Burke et al., Molecular Metabolism in press), a finding now replicated in patient populations. An advantage of the new chemogenetic technology that we are employing in this application is both regional and temporal refinement. We speculate that directly targeting brainstem Npy cells will provide an effective new pharmacological target for the treatment of obesity. Therefore, there may be opportunities for the commercialisation of new diagnostics (identifying individuals at risk of obesity) and therapeutics (targeting specific Npy neurons). The proposed research may inform and benefit the pharmaceutical sector through access to new knowledge, technology development and databases. Thus, it has the potential to enhance the knowledge economy and economic competitiveness of the UK. The research is also readily accessible to the general public, because of its immediate relevance to improving health and wellbeing and enhancing quality of life. The project therefore provides an excellent vehicle for increasing public engagement and understanding.
Publications
Gerbier R
(2021)
Pharmacological evidence for transactivation within melatonin MT2 and serotonin 5-HT2C receptor heteromers in mouse brain.
in FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Wargent ET
(2020)
Developmental programming of appetite and growth in male rats increases hypothalamic serotonin (5-HT)5A receptor expression and sensitivity.
in International journal of obesity (2005)
Imoesi PI
(2023)
Control by the brain of vitamin A homeostasis.
in iScience
Georgescu T
(2021)
Role of serotonin in body weight, insulin secretion and glycaemic control.
in Journal of neuroendocrinology
Wagner S
(2023)
Obesity medication lorcaserin activates brainstem GLP-1 neurons to reduce food intake and augments GLP-1 receptor agonist induced appetite suppression.
in Molecular metabolism
Lionikas A
(2023)
Stanniocalcin-2 inhibits skeletal muscle growth and is upregulated in functional overload-induced hypertrophy.
in Physiological reports
Martinez De Morentin P
(2022)
Role of brain serotonin in age-related decline in physical activity in mice
in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Martinez De Morentin P
(2022)
Molecular mechanisms of appetite control via 5-HT1B receptors
in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Wagner S
(2022)
Function of the nucleus of the solitary tract in the therapeutic effect of obesity medication lorcaserin
in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Martynova Y
(2022)
Function of neuropeptide Y within the nucleus of the solitary tract in food intake
in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Martynova Y
(2021)
Role of brain serotonin in age-related decline in physical activity in mice
Description | Obesity is primarily due to the consumption of calories beyond the bodies energetic requirements and their storage as fat. An unresolved question is what drives positive energy balance? In other words, what is the neurobiological circuit that stimulates food intake and weight gain? The research programme proposed here aims to resolve this important questions by clarifying how the hunger neuropeptide Y (NPY) coordinates (i) a preference for calorie dense foods, (ii) increased caloric intake and (iii) enhanced lipid storage within WAT. in Aim 2 of the research programme, we proposed to control the activity of NPY neurones within the brain region the nucleus of the solitary tract to determine whether the are principal regulators of appetite. This component of the research programme is now complete. Supporting Aim 2, we observed that selective activation of NPY NTS cells increased food intake and body weight. In this reporting period, we next examined the NPY receptor mediating this effect. We characterised two NPY receptor antagonists, blocking the Y1 and Y5 receptors. Pretreatment with the combination of these antagonists partially blocked NPY-induced stimulation of food intake. Aim 1 of the research programme is to determine whether obesity may be treated by preventing NPY production within the NTS. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 and the university closure, we had to terminate these studies before they were completed and repeat them again this year. This has had a significant impact on the delivery of this Aim. In support of Aim 1, we now report that silencing NPY NTS neurons significantly decreases food intake and body weight. We then performed research outlined in Aim 3 of the application. NPY-Cre mice were injected with the proposed optogenetic viruses in the NTS and we have confirmed axon terminal expression in the PVH, illustrating feasibility of of NPY NTS to PVH optogenetic studies. An optical fibre was placed in the PVH and a frequency of pulses has been established in vivo and ex vivo. This did not lead to the hypothesised changes in food intake, suggesting that the necessary second order neurons aren't in the PVH. We have also characterised NPY cells within the NTS in the current reporting period to understand more about their function in the regulation of appetite and body weight. This is collaborative work stemming from a presentation at the Swiss Ingestive Behaviour meeting. These data suggest that NPY NTS cell activity is regulated by glucose and the orexigenic neuropeptide orexin. Specifically, approximately half of NPY NTS cells are glucose inhibited and a subset express orexin receptor 2. The data generated thus far have been presented by the PIs and postdoctoral fellow (PDRA) Yuliia Martynova in over the past few years, as detailed in this report. PDRA Martynova went on maternity leave. She is due to return to work (at a different PDRA placement) in June 2023. We are in the stages of beginning to draft the publication of this work. |
Exploitation Route | The results are very exciting. We show that NPY neurons within the classic satiety region the NTS stimulate hunger. This mirrors hypothalamic NPY neurons. The data provide a foundation for neurons placed side by side within the same brain region with opposing functions and illustrate the importance and uniqueness of NPY neurons in regulating homeostasis. |
Sectors | Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Description | Helmholtz SAB |
Geographic Reach | Europe |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Impact | Changes are just being implemented, so no impact yet. |
Description | Ongoing Keystone Conference Scientific Advisory Board |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Description | BRAINFOOD Nutrition Network grant |
Amount | € 30,000 (EUR) |
Organisation | European Brain Council |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | Belgium |
Start | 01/2020 |
End | 01/2022 |
Description | Brainstem GABA neurons orchestrate feeding and body weight |
Amount | £465,329 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/V016849/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2022 |
End | 08/2025 |
Description | ISSF Wellcome Trust |
Amount | £25,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2022 |
End | 03/2023 |
Description | UKRI COVID-19 Grant Extension Allocation - Defining the underpinnings of Neuropeptide Y (NPY)'s control of hunger and body fat |
Amount | £75,486 (GBP) |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2021 |
End | 09/2021 |
Description | Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) |
Amount | £20,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2020 |
End | 05/2021 |
Description | Giles Yeo |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We examined the in vivo role of a distinct subsets of neurons within the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in feeding behaviour and insulin sensitivity. |
Collaborator Contribution | The Yeo lab examined the ex vivo characteristics of the distinct subsets of NTS neurons by cell sorting and profiling them with microarray and PCR. |
Impact | the work has been presented at the academic meetings listed under the 'engagement' section and has led to a publication https://www.molecularmetabolism.com/archive/past-issues/volume-43-january-2021/article/article/30706/index.html |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Ran Levi |
Organisation | University of Aberdeen |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Prof Levi is from the Math Dept at the Univ of Aberdeen. We have teamed up to perform mathematical modelling of energy homeostasis with ageing that impacts body weight, body fat and insulin sensitivity. My laboratory has conducted the in vivo experiments. |
Collaborator Contribution | Prof Levi's lab has performed the mathematical analysis on the data generated by the in vivo experiments. |
Impact | this work has led to a successful seed grant and is being written up for publication. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Stefan Trapp, University College London |
Organisation | University College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This project investigates the therapeutic effect of obesity medication lorcaserin and whether it requires nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) glucagon like peptide 1 (GLP-1) to reduce food intake. A proportion of NTS GLP-1 receptors are GABAergic. This collaboration was initiated at the 2018 Neurobiology of Obesity (NOS) conference, funded by a MRC Discovery grant. We are expert in obesity medication lorcaserin and collaborator Stefan Trapp is expert in brain GLP-1. We provided the hypothesis to investigate - whether lorcaserin employs the brain neuropeptide GLP-1 to produce its therapeutic effect. We tested this hypothesis using a variety of different methodological approaches. |
Collaborator Contribution | The Trapp lab: 1. Examined whether GLP-1 knockdown attenuates lorcaserin's anorectic effect 2. Provided the Heisler lab with research tools to examine the ex vivo effect of lorcaserin in the brainstem. |
Impact | Multiple scientific presentations and a publication. https://www.molecularmetabolism.com/archive/past-issues/volume-43-january-2021/article/article/30706/index.html |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | 6 invited talks at 6 scientific conferences held around the world |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talks by: - Physiological Reviews - Athens, Greece, June 2019 - Banbury, Cold Spring Harbor, Lloyd Harbor, NY, USA April 2019 (approx 50 people) - Copenhagen Biosciences Center, Novo Nordisk, Copenhagen, Denmark, Oct 2019 (approx 200 people) - 7th Helmholtz Diabetes Conference, Munich Germany Sept 2019 (approx 200 people) - 7th Mediterranean Neuroscience Conference, Marrakech, Morocco June 2019 (approx 1000 people) - Physiology Society, Physiology of Obesity and Diabetes Symposium, Aberdeen, UK July 2019 (a few thousand people) Each invited talk was given at the above scientific conferences, which attracted researchers in the area of obesity and diabetes and attendance ranged from 50 to a few thousand. Each invited talk sparked questions and discussion both after the talk and in more information social gatherings, and people expressed increased interest in the subject area. A few of the talks led to follow up emails and collaboration. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Blog for World Diabetes Day |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Blog for World Diabetes Day posted on the University Website where I described what diabetes is and how the brain is involved in controlling blood sugar. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | http://bit.ly/Diabetes_and_Brain |
Description | Brain-body Interactions virtual seminar series - invited talk |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | This international virtual seminar series is held to stimulate interest and discussion about the brain and body interactions. It is intended to reach a wide audience and has its own YouTube channel. This led to questions and discussion where the audience engaged with the topic and reported increased understanding. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.brainbodyinteractions.org/draft |
Description | Brainwaves web interview for International Women and Girls in Science week |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Interview organised by British Society for Neuroendocrinology and posted on the web to encourage girls to enter science. Feedback from the organisers is that my video was the most watched - illustrating a good reach. and that girls reported increased interest in the research area. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://twitter.com/bsneuroendo/status/1491004103668948996 |
Description | British Society for Neuroendocrinology and French Neuroendocrine Society (SNE) joint meeting - invited talk |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This was a virtual talk that reached audiences from the UK and France with an interest in neuroendocrinology. This led to questions and discussion where the audience engaged with the topic and reported increased understanding. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://bsn-sne2020.sciencesconf.org |
Description | Conference Session Chairperson - Federation of European Neuroscience |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Co-organised a session for FENS where data related to this research grant was to be presented by my postdoctoral fellow. Meeting was cancelled due to COVID-19. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Gordon Research Conference, Molecular Pharmacology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at Gordon Research Conference Molecular Pharmacology meeting. Unfortunately, the meeting was cancelled due to COVID-19. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Invited Talk - Swiss Winter conference on Ingestive Behaviour |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Approximately 80 academics, students and members from industry attended the conference and my invited talk. The format of the talk included a good period for discussion where ideas were exchanged. This led to discussions of a new collaboration with Tune Pers's group, Novo Nordisk Foundation for Center for Basic Metabolic Research. Discussions with industry Research Diets also occurred. Requests were made for involvement in a future activity. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.winter-ingestion.uzh.ch/en.html |
Description | Invited Talk, University of Leeds |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Roughly 250 people from the University of Leeds (students and academic staff) attended my invited School of Biomedical Sciences Seminar. The talk I gave was entitled 'New insights into the brain control of appetite'. Host: Beatrice Filippi. the talk sparked lively questions and discussions. During the Q&A, participants reported the attainment of new ideas. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Invited talk - 3rd International Conference on Precision Nutrition and Metabolism in Public Health and Medicine |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Approximately 100 international academics attended the 3rd International Conference on Precision Nutrition and Metabolism in Public Health and Medicine and my invited talk. Impacts from the meeting include questions and discussion with other academics and delegates from industry, including AstraZeneca. Potential collaborative work was discussed. Other impacts include invitation to be an organiser of the meeting in 2024. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.aegeanconferences.org/src/App/conferences/view/160 |
Description | Invited talk - Edinburgh Diabetes Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Approximately 100 people attended the Edinburgh Diabetes conference. My invited talk sparked discussion and questions and the audience reported changing views. A collaborative work arose from the meeting with Prof Robert Semple. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Invited talk - Obesity in a Life-Course Perspective Conference, Danish Diabetes Academy |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Approximately 120 attended this conference where I was invited to talk. I presented work related to the BBSRC funded project. The presentation sparked questions and discussion. One of the impacts was an invitation to speak at another meeting in Sept. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://ddeacademy.dk |
Description | Invited talk - Society for Endocrinology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk about grants and strategies for successful grant applications was given at the national meeting in person. The talk was recorded to increase the reach. This led to questions and discussion where the audience engaged with the topic, asked for advice and reported increased understanding. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.endocrinology.org/events/sfe-bes-conference/sfe-bes-2021/scientific-programme/ |
Description | Invited talk and laboratory visit - Industry Meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Approximately 60 people attended a meeting where I gave an invited talk and gave a tour of my laboratory. Attendees ranged from members of industry, Scottish parliament and other academics and students. The presentation sparked discussion and questions about our BBSRC funded research programme and allowed a hands-on view of data through the microscope. Discussions were had with major Pharma about potential collaborative work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Invited talk and short talk - Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk to SSIB annual meeting and PDRA on grant was also invited to give a poster and short talk. These sparked questions and discussion afterwards and the potential for new collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Invited talk at American Diabetes Association annual meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk for the American Diabetes Association in one of their main annual talks - Highlights of the Past Year in Basic, Translational, and Clinical Science. Meeting was attended by roughly 12,000 people and the talk was one of the main program highlights. Expected attendance in the thousands. Good discussion afterwards illustrating high engagement. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.adameetingnews.org/live-updates/session-coverage/year-of-discovery-furthers-understandin... |
Description | Invited talk at University of West Virginia, USA |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Approximately 40 people attended a talk where I spoke about data related to this research programme over a one hour period. This was followed up by an information talk with graduate students for another hour where they could ask me more detailed questions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Nutrition Network meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 15 members of a European nutrition network met to discuss engagement with stakeholders, politicians and funders. Plans were made for 2 international meetings with members of these groups to discuss the impact of nutrition on health. Also discussed was a position paper that we co-wrote. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Nutrition Network, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The European Nutrition Network met twice in 2022 to discuss position papers, ways to impact government nutrition policy and research. Impacts include attainment of funding to drive change in nutrition policy and produce transformative research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Open day at Rowett Institute |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | roughly 150 people came to an open day at our Institute. We talked about our research and this sparked questions and discussion and increased interested in the subject. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Poster presentation - Europhysiology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Poster presentation of collaborative work by Stefan Trapp's group. Our collaborative work is now published in Molecular Metabolism (2023). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://europhysiology2022.org |
Description | Public Lecture |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Award of the Public Lecture Prize the the British Society for Endocrinology. Audience included the general public and also Endocrine society delegates and industry representatives. Lecture was recorded and is available on social media. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNweruBpY2o |
Description | Public talk - stuff worth knowing |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Public engagement talk at the local Science Centre that attracted roughly 20 people, including senior school students, undergraduates and post-graduate students. this sparked discussion and questions and participants reported increased interest in the subject area. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.aberdeensciencecentre.org/whats-on |
Description | Rowett Open Day |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The open day was well attended by the public and we created a table with information related to BBSRC funded research. Biggest impact was the public asking questions and having discussion about the research and reporting changing views. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | School visit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | 3 classes of primary school children visited the Rowett Institute where we told the student about the effect of nutrition on health. We also explained the discovery of insulin 100 years ago. The children engaged in activities, make scientific badges and received tours (I led these events). the impact was children reporting changing views about nutrition. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | The Endocrine Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at the Endocrine Society annual meeting. The meeting was originally scheduled for San Francisco, CA in the USA, but was cancelled. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/9188/presentation/725 |
Description | Workshop with lab tour - British Heart Foundation and Politicians |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | An event was organised to showcase metabolic and cardiovascular research at the University of Aberdeen. Invited attendees included politicians, the British Heart Foundation, members from patient groups and other academics, including students. We provided delegates with a tour of our laboratory where we discussed our BBSRC funded research. This sparked questions and discussion. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | invited talk - Barbora Davis Diabetes Center, Univ of Colorado |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at Barbora Davis Diabetes Center, Univ of Colorado attended by roughly 60 academics, medics and students. Talk sparked discussed and plans for future collaboration were made. However, due to COVID-19, they have not yet been implemented. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | invited talk - British Society for Neuroendocrinology and International Congress of Neuroendocrinology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Approximately 150 people attended the invited talk with international reach. This sparked quite a lot of discussion afterwards. Researcher on grant who has contributed significantly (Pablo Martinez de Morentin) was approached and ultimately offered a Lectureship specifically related to his contribution to the research programme. other impacts include being invited to organise the 2024 meeting. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.neuroendo.org.uk/page.php?item_name=BNG+BSN+Annual+Meetings |
Description | invited talk - Cologne Molecular Medicine Conference (CMMC) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This translational meeting included clinicians and basic scientists with the goal to review 25 years of progress in molecular medicine. The talk stimulated lively questions and discussion where the audience engaged with the topic and reported increased understanding. The meeting was in person and virtual to increase reach. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.cmmc-uni-koeln.de/events/cmmc-symposium-2021 |
Description | invited talk - Danish Diabetes Academy |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Approximately 150 people attended the annual Dutch Translational Metabolism Conference where I gave an invited talk. This sparked questions and discussions afterwards that led to people changing views and learning new things. I also participated in an event where delegates were asked to guess things about me (which led to a prize) and a speed-dating networking event to allow people to speak with me directly to find out more about my research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://ddeacademy.dk/events |
Description | invited talk - Diabetes UK, Glasgow, UK |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | invitation to give a talk at Diabetes UK, Glasgow, UK. Planned to present data related to this grant. Meeting was cancelled due to COVID-19. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | invited talk - European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), Nice, France |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), Nice, France. Conference was cancelled due to COVID-19. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | invited talk - Experimental Biology 2021 (ASPET) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Prof Heisler gave an invited talk at the international meeting ASPET as part of the large international meeting Experimental Biology 2021. The focus of the session was on GPCRs to target for the treatment of obesity - a topic that is very relevant to the BBSRC grants held by Heisler. The talk was a virtual format and recorded to increase the reach. This led to questions and discussion where the audience engaged with the topic and reported increased understanding. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.aspet.org/aspet/meetings-awards/meetingsannual-meeting/annual-meeting-archives/aspet-ann... |
Description | invited talk - Future Physiology, Physiology Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | PDRA Martynova's abstract was selected for a talk and she related the latest findings from research on the grant. The talk generated quite a lot of questions and discussion afterwards and follow up emails. Some members of the audience indicated a new interest in the research area. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.physoc.org/events/future-physiology-2021/#tab-01 |
Description | invited talk - GPCR: Pharmacology to Physiology, Experimental Biology, San Diego, CA USA |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at GPCR: Pharmacology to Physiology, Experimental Biology, San Diego, CA USA. Meeting was cancelled due to COVID-19. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | invited talk - Molecules to Behavior Underlying Interoception, Janelia Farm |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at leading research centre, the a scientific research campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Farm. Conference was cancelled due to COVID-19. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | invited talk - Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research Bioscience Snapshot lecture was attended by roughly 30 postgraduate students with an interest in bioscience. I presented data related to this grant proposal and this sparked discussion afterwards. Following this, a discussion group was held to probe the ideas presented further. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://cph-bioscience.com/en/events/copenhagen-bioscience-snapshot-nov2020 |
Description | invited talk and poster - Novo Nordisk Metabolism in Action |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | PI Heisler presented data in an overview of this grant and previous grants in an invited talk and PDRA Martynova presented a poster on her progress on the project. The talk and poster stimulated lively questions and discussion where the audience engaged with the topic and reported increased understanding. The meeting was in person and virtual to increase reach. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://cph-bioscience.com/en/events/metabolisminaction-centralandperipheralcontrolofenergymetabolis... |
Description | invited talk- 12th Swiss Winter Conference on Ingestive Behavior |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Both Co-Is Heisler and Rochford were invited to speak at the meeting. Due to COVID-related restrictions in travel, the meeting was not as well attended as expected or as in previous years, however, the advantage of this is that the participants engaged in more discussion. The talk generated numerous questions and appears to be leading to 2 new collaborations with investigators in Denmark and Switzerland. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.winter-ingestion.uzh.ch/en/Past-Meetings.html |
Description | invited webnair - InsideScientific |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | More than 500 people registered and attended this webnair where I discussed the brain circuits driving appetite. The presentation was live and can also be viewed in a recorded format. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://insidescientific.com/profile/lora-heisler/ |
Description | poster presentation - Biochemical society national meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Poster presentation of research from Co-I Rochford at the Biochemical Society annual meeting. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | poster presentation - Nutrition Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | PDRA on the grant Martynova presented an update on data related to the grant at the Nutrition Society meeting "nutrition and the brain." The meeting was live and virtual and the poster was given in a virtual format. The poster stimulated questions and discussion afterwards that increased interest in the subject area. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.nutritionsociety.org/events/winter-conference-2021obesity-and-brain |
Description | public talk - Aberdeen City Council 100 years of Insulin |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The City Council of Aberdeen held an event to celebrate the 100 years of insulin and invited a diverse audience. Heisler and Rochford's research were presented at the event. The event increased understanding of the history of the discovery of insulin and contemporary strategies to prevent and treat diabetes today (e.g. Heisler and Rochford's research). Members of the media and general public reported changing views. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | school visit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Gave a talk and students engaged in an activity about research related to the grant to final year biology students at a local school. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | talk with diabetes patient group |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | Virtual meeting (MS Teams) with 8 patients from a Diabetes Scotland patient group to discuss what they feel are the challenges in living with diabetes. Discussed was a loss of taste and this prompted a discussion as to whether this would be a valuable area to research. Stemming from this discussion, I am considering putting together a project grant application on this topic in 2021 or 2022. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |