A new federal grant to establish a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) has been awarded to Pennington Biomedical scientists. The purpose of this grant is to establish a Metabolic Basis of Disease Center that will allow young scientists to delve into the mechanisms of diabetes, preeclampsia, and anxiety-driven eating.
“The grant provides Pennington Biomedical with the opportunity to establish a new research focus that will hopefully be a significant benefit for the state of Louisiana, which has a disproportionately high incidence of metabolic diseases,” said Jacqueline Stephens, PhD, professor, center director and the primary investigator of this new five-year center grant.
“This grant is perfectly aligned with the research center’s mission and fully embraces the importance of understanding the basic mechanisms that regulate metabolic health. This research is vital to helping solve the epidemic of obesity and its related illnesses,” said John Kirwan, PhD, executive director. “The COBRE will provide for the development and training of the next generation of independent scientists.”
The initial research projects include:
● Research by Susan Burke, PhD, assistant professor of research at Pennington Biomedical, will investigate lipid metabolism – how fats are broken down and burned – in the pancreas. This includes examining the cells that make and secrete insulin. Reduced fatty acid oxidation, a result of poorly functioning pancreatic cells, may increase fat storage in other places like the kidneys, liver, heart, and muscle. Accumulation of lipid in the wrong tissues results in a number of serious health issues. The project will provide critical insights into the contributions of pancreatic lipid metabolism during aging and obesity.
● Studies by Jenny Sones, DVM PhD, assistant professor of theriogenology in Veterinary Clinical Sciences at LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, will determine how reproductive fat tissue contributes to preeclampsia, a condition of dangerously high blood pressure that can occur during pregnancy. Worldwide, greater than 75,000 women and 500,000 infants die as a result of preeclampsia each year, and the numbers are rising. In the United States, preeclampsia impacts approximately eight percent of pregnancies. Maternal obesity is a major risk factor for preeclampsia. In order to prevent, predict, and treat this life-threatening disorder, a better understanding of maternal obesity is needed. The study will investigate the contribution of fat tissue to preeclampsia.
● Research from the laboratory of Emily Qualls-Creekmore, PhD, assistant professor and director, Behavioral Neurosciences at Pennington Biomedical, will seek to identify the neural circuit and molecular mechanisms that link metabolism and anxiety. It is known that specific neurons, or nerve cells, can drive eating for pleasure, and also modulate anxiety. This research will use state-of-the-art methodology to reveal new mechanisms that the brain uses to integrate the influence of emotion on appetite. These studies may help in finding a treatment for anxiety-associated eating disorders.
Each of these research projects fall within the Pennington Biomedical’s core mission to study disorders where metabolism clearly affects the incidence and progression of chronic diseases that reduce human life and health spans. The incidence of metabolic related diseases continues to increase in the U.S. Louisiana has been disproportionately affected because of demographics, economics, and a high incidence of health disparities.
The primary focus of the new Metabolic Basis of Disease Center is to provide mentoring and training for Pennington Biomedical’s young scientists and help them establish themselves so they can eventually secure their own independent research funding. The grant will support 14 professional jobs in Louisiana for five years.