Role of belly fat in obesity-related blood vessel problems
Official title: Role of visceral adipose in obesity-induced endothelial dysfunction
Funded at University of Delaware · NIH-11341897 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant explores how visceral fat might cause blood vessel dysfunction in obesity, with the goal of reducing cardiovascular risk for people with obesity.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Delaware NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | July 15, 2026 |
| Project end | March 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $395,382 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HL185309-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11341897 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with obesity or those at high risk for obesity-related cardiovascular disease.
✕Less likely to help
If obesity-related mechanisms are not present or if the intervention targets are not relevant to a patient’s biology, benefits may be limited.
What this research studies
If funded, researchers will study how visceral adipose tissue affects endothelial cells and their ability to widen blood vessels. The work focuses on cellular pathways, including CD36 and Kir2.1, to understand how fat tissue signals lead to impaired vascular responses in obesity. Findings could point to new strategies to prevent atherosclerosis and related heart disease by targeting the fat–vessel interaction. Patients with obesity and cardiovascular risk factors may benefit from future treatments developed from these insights.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Understanding this link could lead to new interventions to prevent obesity-related heart disease by protecting blood vessel function.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary studies indicate a measurable connection between visceral fat and endothelial dysfunction, supporting further investigation.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Delaware
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fancher, Ibra — University of Delaware
- Study coordinator: Fancher, Ibra
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How obesity harms blood vessels in belly fat
This project looks at whether a fat-uptake protein called CD36 and a blood-flow channel named Kir2.1 explain why obesity weakens the lining of blood vessels in belly fat in adults.
-
Investigating how obesity affects blood vessel health through gene regulation
This study is looking at how being overweight can harm your blood vessels and raise your chances of heart disease, and it’s specifically exploring how a certain gene might play a role in this process, so we can better understand and help people who are dealing with obesity-related heart issues.
-
Understanding how knee pain and knee obesity and muscle loss affect knee osteoarthritis
This project looks at how knee swelling, excess knee fat, and muscle loss relate to pain and structural changes in knee osteoarthritis in adults.
-
Understanding how maternal and infant sleep and daily rhythms influence early appetite and obesity risk
This project explores how infant sleep, circadian rhythms, and maternal-infant timing relate to early appetite patterns and the risk of obesity in the first year of life.
-
GLP-1 receptor agonists as immune targets to treat asthma in lean and obese adults
Aims to understand how GLP-1R‑agonist diabetes medicines may directly calm immune cells to reduce asthma in adults who are lean or obese.
-
Understanding how where you live and personal factors during pregnancy affect a child’s risk for obesity and metabolic problems
This project looks at how neighborhood conditions and individual factors during pregnancy may influence a child’s risk of obesity and metabolic health as they grow.
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.