How body fat affects the heart's metabolism during cardiac stress

Adipose tissue mediates cardiac metabolic remodeling in the pathologically stressed heart in the absence of primary metabolic stress

NIH-funded research Ohio State University · NIH-11296901

This research looks at how fat tissue signals change the heart's metabolism when the heart is under stress, with the goal of helping people who develop heart failure or cardiac hypertrophy.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionOhio State University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Columbus, UNITED STATES)
Project IDNIH-11296901 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This project studies how your body fat (both white and brown fat) changes when the heart faces pathological stress like pressure overload. The researchers will track heart and fat-tissue signals, measure hormones such as natriuretic peptides and how the heart uses long-chain fatty acids, and look for differences between males and females. They will examine how fat tissue changes (for example, beiging of white fat or increased fat breakdown) influence the heart's lipid profile and metabolic remodeling. The work combines molecular and tissue-level measurements from experimental models to identify ways fat could protect or harm the stressed heart.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: People with or at risk for heart failure, cardiac hypertrophy, or pressure-overload conditions (for example due to aortic stenosis) would be the most relevant group for related future clinical studies.

Not a fit: Individuals whose heart disease is driven primarily by metabolic conditions like obesity or uncontrolled diabetes may not directly benefit from findings focused on heart-driven adipose responses.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could identify new fat-related targets to prevent or reduce harmful metabolic changes in the heart during heart failure or pressure overload.

How similar studies have performed: Past studies have linked fat-derived signals to heart metabolism, but exploring adipose plasticity and sex-specific responses during pressure-overload heart stress is relatively new and less tested.

Where this research is happening

Columbus, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.