Many researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center have made significant contributions to the field of obesity research over the years. Now a center funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be set up at his KU Medical Center dedicated to that important work.
Known as the Kansas Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research (KC-MORE) and receiving a $12 million five-year grant from the NIH, the new center will unite research efforts into human obesity and obesity-related diseases. .
While many researchers are involved, KC-MORE will be led by three principal investigators from KU Medical Center. Dr. John P. Thyfault, Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Genetics. Stephen Weinman, M.D., Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Director of the University of Kansas Liver Center.
“Obesity causes chronic health conditions,” says Thyfault. “It causes premature death, and we have very high obesity rates in Kansas. there is someone.”
KU has a longstanding strong research program in nutrition, obesity, metabolism, diabetes and fatty liver disease. The establishment of the new center will bring these programs together, support them with state-of-the-art scientific core facilities, and enable us to train new faculty researchers to develop successful careers in obesity-related research.
“Our number one goal is to improve human health,” Weinman said. “And part of that is addressing all the symptoms of obesity, along with a strong group of researchers,” he adds, adding that KC-MORE includes bench scientists to biochemists studying cellular and tissue obesity. He pointed out that researchers from various fields will participate. From physiologists studying the processes of fat retention in the liver, to applied psychologists, nutritionists, pharmacologists and cardiovascular specialists.
All three principal investigators are also full professors at the KU School of Medicine and bring a wide range of expertise. Donnelly is a widely published book on obesity, specializing in behavioral strategies for diet and physical activity. Thyfault is a scientist who studies and understands metabolism from the cellular level to the physiological level, with a focus on exercise metabolism. Weinman is a clinician specializing in fatty liver disease and understands obesity and its impact on a wide range of diseases.
Another major goal of the Center is to support and mentor certain junior faculty members with dedicated funding until they receive their first major NIH grant. The center also provides pilot funding, clinical and basic core infrastructure, and regular funding focused on developing new approaches to prevent and treat obesity and metabolic dysfunction and reduce the burden of obesity-related disease. Support other researchers across campus through various seminars and conferences.
KC-MORE is part of NIH’s Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program, which supports the establishment and development of innovative biomedical and behavioral research centers. The long-term goal of KC-MORE is to bring together NIH-funded clinical, translational, and basic researchers to develop novel approaches to prevent and treat obesity and its complications. It’s about cultivating critical mass.
“KC-MORE connects the obesity research and clinical communities by providing an infrastructure for obesity research and training opportunities for junior faculty,” Donnelly said. -MORE will provide the energy and structure to recruit promising young and established obesity researchers to participate in efforts to prevent and treat obesity and related comorbidities.”
Weinman agreed. “One of the benefits of the COBRE grant is that he is very far-sighted,” he explained. “COBRE is one of the few programs that pays faculty members to mentor others.
The first Junior Faculty funded by KC-MORE is Dr. E. Matthew Morris, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology. Anna Gorczyca, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor of Physical Activity and Weight Management. She is Hongmin Ni, MD, Assistant Professor and Technical Her Director of the Hepatocyte Isolation Core in the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics.
