Endocrine Abstracts

Obesity and its associated cardiometabolic complications place a huge burden on global health. The key feature of obesity is increased white adipose tissue (WAT) mass, however the role of ‘lesser known’ depots such as bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) is not clear in adult humans. Over the last decade I have undertaken a variety of metabolic studies in both mice and humans to determine the metabolic role and regulation of BMAT, BAT and the wider skeleton. I have developed entirely novel imaging techniques (primarily using positron emission tomography) to quantify BMAT and identify metabolic networks between organs. Using these approaches I have: (1) determined that BMAT plays a key role in glucose clearance and is functionally distinct from WAT and BAT; (2) identified a novel pathway regulating human BAT thermogenesis, revealing how antidepressants may cause metabolic dysfunction; (3) used novel PET tracers to quantify BAT mass in humans; (4) identified complex metabolic networks in the skeleton and a bone-derived therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity and diabetes. This lecture will explore these topics and highlight how this knowledge can be used to develop new strategies to diagnose and treat obesity and associated metabolic disease.