2015 Press Releases
Fat cells change the nutrients they consume as they mature
Science Alert | November 20, 2015
There are plenty of us who want to lose a little (or a lot of) weight, but despite all the research being done into how to trigger this process, there's still a lot we don't know about fat cells. Case in point, researchers in the US have just discovered that fat cells metabolise different nutrients as they mature. The research is limited to the lab for now, but it could help to explain why some people with obesity and diabetes find it so hard to lose weight. Full Story
New Ways to Treat Diabetes and Obesity with Fat Cell Metabolism Research
Nutrition Insight | November 18, 2015
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego report new insights into what nutrients fat cells metabolize to make fatty acids. The findings pave the way for understanding potential irregularities in fat cell metabolism that occur in patients with diabetes and obesity and could lead to new treatments for these conditions. The researchers published their findings online in the Nov. 16 issue of Nature Chemical Biology. Full Story
Study sheds new light on fat cells, amino acids and type 2 diabetes
Diabetes UK | November 18, 2015
A study sheds new light on the way that fatty acids are produced. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California-San Diego, provides fresh information about the way fat cells use different nutrients to produce fatty acids. According to the researchers, understanding the production of fatty acids could lead to new treatments for type 2 diabetes and cancer, among other conditions. Full Story
Image of the Day: Assorted Adipose
The Scientist | November 17, 2015
Differentiated fat cells studied in the Metabolic Systems Biology lab at UC San Diego make The Scientist's Image of the Day Full Story
New diabetes and obesity treatments may arise from study of fat cell metabolism
Medical News Today | November 17, 2015
A lot can be learned by understanding the molecular biology of how our fat cells use nutrients. For instance, it can reveal why people with diabetes and obesity have problems in fat cell metabolism and help develop new treatments for their conditions. Full Story
Fat cell metabolism research could lead to new ways to treat diabetes and obesity
next BIG Future | November 16, 2015
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego report new insights into what nutrients fat cells metabolize to make fatty acids. The findings pave the way for understanding potential irregularities in fat cell metabolism that occur in patients with diabetes and obesity and could lead to new treatments for these conditions. This study highlights how specific tissues in our bodies use particular nutrients. Full Story
Fat Cell Metabolism Research Could Lead to New Ways to Treat Diabetes and Obesity
Scicasts | November 16, 2015
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego report new insights into what nutrients fat cells metabolize to make fatty acids. The findings pave the way for understanding potential irregularities in fat cell metabolism that occur in patients with diabetes and obesity and could lead to new treatments for these conditions. The researchers published their findings online in the Nov. 16 issue of Nature Chemical Biology. Full Story
Fat Cells Change What They "Eat" As They Mature
Gizmodo | November 16, 2015
For something we try so hard to lose, fat cells make a very pretty picture when stained with red dye. And a new study has found that the nutrients they consume as they mature changes in a significant way. These particular fat cells, called adipocytes, were grown in the lab. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, cultured pre-adipocytes -- the precursors to fat cells -- coaxing them to grow into fully-formed fat cells. As the cells matured, the stuff they consumed changed. Full Story
Researchers Develop Model to Predict Side Effects of Drugs
The Guardian | November 11, 2015
UCSD researchers recently designed a model that uses red blood cells to predict the side effects individual patients will experience in response to specific drugs. The Systems Biology Research Group published its study on Oct. 28 in the journal Cell Systems. Galletti Professor of Bioengineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering, Adjunct Professor of Medicine and principal investigator Bernhard Palsson explained how side effects are unique to the individual. Full Story
Scientists create new model to predict side effects of drugs
Deccan Chronicle | November 4, 2015
A new model that uses a patient's blood samples can predict what side effects they might experience from a drug, scientists have found. The proof of concept study is aimed at determining how different individuals will respond to a drug treatment and could help assess whether a drug is suitable for a particular patient based on measurements taken from the patient's blood. "We're not just interested in predicting the efficacy of a drug, but its side effects as well," said Bernhard Palsson Full Story