How brown fat uses different fuels to make heat
Official title: Regulation of brown fat fuel utilization by the malate-aspartate shuttle
Funded at Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr · NIH-11176901 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how brown fat cells switch between burning fats, sugars, and amino acids to produce heat, which could matter for people with obesity or metabolic problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baton Rouge, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $389,852 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK136536-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11176901 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would include adults with overweight or metabolic conditions, or healthy volunteers willing to provide tissue samples or undergo imaging related to brown fat studies.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking an immediate weight-loss treatment or those with unrelated medical issues should not expect direct personal benefit from participating in this basic research.
What this research studies
From my perspective as a patient, the team is studying brown fat — a type of fat that burns energy to make heat — to see how it chooses between fuels like fatty acids, glucose, and amino acids during cold exposure or when stimulated by drugs. They will focus on a biochemical system called the malate-aspartate shuttle and an enzyme named GOT1 that appears to be turned on in brown fat under these conditions. Researchers will use cell models and animal experiments and compare findings with human brown fat biology to track how changing GOT1 or related enzymes alters fuel use and heat production. The goal is to map the steps brown fat uses to coordinate different nutrients so scientists can think about ways to boost energy use safely.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to increase brown fat energy use to help treat obesity and metabolic disease.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies show brown fat can be activated by cold and β3-adrenergic drugs, but linking the malate-aspartate shuttle and GOT1 to how brown fat switches fuels is a newer, less-tested idea.
Where this research is happening
-
Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr
Baton Rouge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chang, Ji Suk — Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr
- Study coordinator: Chang, Ji Suk
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.