Cora Weigert, Professor - Germany
The hepatic metabolism and the endocrine function of the liver are central in the development and treatment of type 2 diabetes. Exercise studies in rodents indicate the contribution of molecular adaptations in the liver to the beneficial effects of physical activity on glucose tolerance and metabolic homeostasis. However, molecular studies on the adaptation of human liver metabolism to exercise and the role of hepatokines herein are limited.
In the collaboration with Peter Plomgaard and Bente Klarlund Pedersen at the Centre of Inflammation and Metabolism (CIM) and the Centre for Physical Activity Research (CFAS), Rigshospitalet Copenhagen, we combine the expertise in human exercise studies and exercise physiology with metabolomics/lipidomics approaches and biochemical expertise to identify novel communication paths and target molecules important for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.
The availability of human liver vein samples in Copenhagen provides unique opportunities to study exercise-regulated signaling molecules and allows insight into human liver metabolism. The joined projects are also focusing on exercise-regulated metabolites and lipids in the human skeletal muscle with potential biological function (“myometabokines”).
Specific aims that will be covered during the visit:
- Identification of exercise-regulated metabolites and lipids derived from liver and muscle; functional studies of their therapeutic potential in type 2 diabetes
- Identification of exercise-regulated hepatokines, the pathways responsible for their upregulation, and functional studies of their therapeutic potential
We will also initiate novel human intervention studies to better understand tissue-specific alterations during exercise and their impact in the prevention of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.