How the hormone LH affects body fat and metabolism as we age
Official title: Regulation of Body Composition and Energy Metabolism by LH With Aging
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11365790 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether increasing LH activity or using LH-like drugs can reduce body fat and raise energy use in adults, especially older people with weight gain or obesity.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2019 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $763,070 |
| NIH project number | 5U19AG060917-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11365790 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be adults (21+) with overweight or obesity, particularly older adults or post‑menopausal women experiencing weight gain.
✕Less likely to help
Children under 21, pregnant people, and individuals with conditions that interfere with LH signaling or for whom hormonal treatments are unsafe may not receive direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers are following clues from lab and animal work that the pituitary hormone LH and drugs that act like it change fat cells and how the body burns energy. They use experiments in animals, fat cell organoids in the lab, and studies of a small-molecule LH agonist (ORG43553) that has been tested in people for infertility. The team measures fat accumulation, fat-cell development, and whole-body energy use including thermogenesis. Their goal is to see if LH-based approaches could be developed into treatments that help lower body fat, particularly in older adults and post‑menopausal women.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new medicines that help reduce body fat and boost metabolism for adults with age-related weight gain or obesity.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical animal and lab studies have shown LH receptor activation can reduce fat and increase thermogenesis, and the LH agonist ORG43553 has prior clinical testing for infertility, but using these approaches to treat obesity in people remains largely untested.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lizneva, Daria — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Lizneva, Daria
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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.