How growth and diet change how the body uses fats
Developmental and nutritional regulation of lipid metabolism
Scientists are figuring out how signals from development and diet tell cells to store or burn fats, which can affect metabolic diseases and cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11330651 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This work uses tiny roundworms (C. elegans) and mammalian cells in the lab to learn how growth-related signaling pathways control fat use in tissues. Researchers perform genetic screens to find molecules that connect the Hedgehog signal with the mTORC2 and MAPK pathways that steer lipid allocation. By studying these pathways in both worms and mammalian cells, the team hopes to trace the detailed molecular steps that go wrong in disease. The findings aim to reveal new points where future treatments could restore healthy fat balance.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: There is no patient enrollment in this laboratory-focused work, but the results would be most relevant to people with metabolic disorders or cancers linked to disrupted fat metabolism.
Not a fit: People with conditions unrelated to lipid metabolism are unlikely to get direct benefit from these specific findings in the near term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could pinpoint new targets to treat metabolic diseases and cancers driven by abnormal lipid metabolism.
How similar studies have performed: Prior lab and animal studies have linked these signaling pathways to metabolism, but turning those discoveries into therapies remains early and largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dowen, Robert Houston — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Dowen, Robert Houston
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 below.