James Granneman, Professor - Detroit, USA

It is well established that obesity greatly increases diabetes risk, yet the mechanisms involved are poorly understood. Professor James Granneman is an integrative biologist whose research investigates basic fat cell functions to identify novel molecular targets for therapeutic intervention.  As part of this effort, his laboratory used high throughput screening to discover novel compounds that coax fat cells into burning energy rather than storing it. 

Professor Granneman will collaborate with Professor Susanne Mandrup and Professor Nils Færgeman to use cutting-edge genomics and lipidomics technologies to identify the specific pathways that are activated by these compounds and lead to therapeutic benefit.  This exciting collaboration will provide new insights into the basic biology of fat cells and will identify new points for possible therapeutic intervention in diabetes and obesity.  

Professor James G. Granneman, is a world class scientist in the field of adipocyte differentiation and metabolism. His discovery of agonists that can directly activate lipolysis independent of extracellular signaling (e.g. adrenergic receptors) constitutes a breakthrough in the field, which for the first time allows researchers to investigate effects of lipolysis per se on different cell functions including regulation of gene expression. Preliminary data demonstrate that the lipolysis activators induce many genes that are likely to be involved in fat oxidation and adipocyte differentiation. 

Granneman will bring these unique compounds and expertise to Denmark and will in, collaboration with Professor Susanne Mandrup, determine the transcriptional network that mediates the changes in gene expression in response to lipolysis, and in collaboration with Professor Nils Færgeman he will determine the lipid mediators that are induced by direct lipolysis activation in fat and muscle. This work is highly relevant to diabetes research because one of the major effects of insulin resistance in adipocytes is derepression of lipolysis.