brown adipocytes (stained by UCP1 in brown) intermixed in white adipose depots.
Cultured mouse adipocytes with lipid droplets stained red using Oil-Red-O.
Our laboratory is located within the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine. The laboratory is a core member of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (IDOM) & the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.
Our research is aimed at understanding the regulatory pathways that control the
development, differentiation and function of adipose (fat) cells. There are at least two very distinct types of adipose cells, white and brown, with opposing effects on energy balance and body weight regulation. White adipose tissue is highly adapted to store any excess energy from food as triglyceride (fat). Excess accumulation of this tissue in obesity has numerous health consequences including: insulin resistance; type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular disease; and certain types of cancer.
Brown adipose tissue, on the other hand, functions to dissipate chemical energy in the form of heat. By increasing energy expenditure, the activity of brown adipose tissue can also counteract obesity. Strategies that increase the amount or function of this tissue in humans could be a safe and effective treatment for obesity and its associated diseases.
Please check out more details about specific projects and research in the lab by browsing through our website.