Regulation of Lipid Metabolism in Obesity and Diabetes Group

Current Research Lines

  1. Role of CPT1 in the development of obesity-induced insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In vitro and in vivo studies of fatty-acid oxidation and inflammation in liver and white and brown adipose tissue.
  2. Appetite regulation. Role of fatty acids and CPT1A in the control of food intake.  
  3. Bioinformatic modeling of CPT1 and its relationship with obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer: in silico design of anti-obesity and anti-cancer drugs. Study of derivates from the potential anti-obesity and anti-cancer drug C75 and their interaction with CPT1 in vitro, and in vivo in the hypothalamus. Projects in cooperation with Dr. Paulino Gómez-Puertas from the “Molecular Modelling Group” at the Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Dr. Jordi García and Dr. Xavier Ariza at the Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Barcelona, and Dr. Núria Casals from the International University of Catalonia (UIC).

Funding in Process

  • 2022 - present
    Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN) CB06/03/0001. Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI: Laura Herrero)
  • 2021 - 2023
    Investigación traslacional en Obesidad: Generación de una Cohorte Multicéntrica Prospectiva CIBER para el Estudio de la Obesidad (CoMCEO) – Estudios Genéticos, Epigenéticos y Hormonales, y relación con Cohortes Singulares Preexistentes CIBEROBN (Coordinator: Manuel Tena-Sempere; Co-IP: Laura Herrero)
  • 2021 - 2023
    Adipose tissue-derived stem cells gene therapy to combat obesity and associated metabolic diseases Health Merck Foundation (PI: Laura Herrero)
  • 2021 - 2024
    Modulation of the adipose tissue and AgRP neurons’ lipid metabolism to counteract obesity and diabetes MCIN-AEI (PI: Laura Herrero / Dolors Serra)
  • 2020 - 2023
    Immunometabolic profiling in obesity-associated diabetes. Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) (PI: Nicholas Van Panhuys)

Past Funding

  • 2019 - 2021
    Drug delivery targeting Brain CPT1: a novel nanomedicine-based approach to fight obesity and cancer (CONCORD) Japanese Medical Research Agency (AMED) & National Research Agency (AEI) (PI: Rosalía Rodríguez-Rodríguez)
  • 2018 - 2020
    Next-generation RNA sequencing and single-cell RNAseq: novel opportunities for understanding human adipose tissue pathophysiology and obesity (ADIPOSEQ) CIBEROBN Intramural (PI: Francesc Villarroya)
  • 2018 - 2021
    Regulation of central and peripheral lipid metabolism to reduce food intake and obesity Spanish ministry of economy, industry and competitiveness (SAF2017-83813-C3-1-R) ((PI: Dolors Serra; Co-PI: Laura Herrero))
  • 2018 - 2019
    Analysis of the Inflammatory Profile in Childhood Onset Diabetes Sidra Internal Research Fund (IRF). Qatar Foundation (Meritxell Espino)
  • 2017 - 2020
    Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1-mediated strategies to activate brown fat and reduce food intake to fight against obesity. Fundació Marató TV3. (PI: Dolors Serra)
  • 2017 - 2019
    Identification of differential markers in morbid obese patients with different metabolic profile Universidad CEU San Pablo-Banco Santander (Martín Alcalá)
  • 2017 - 2019
    Consolidated research groups. Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR). 2017 SGR 278 (PI: Dolors Serra)
  • 2015 - 2018
    Estudio de las carnitinas palmitoiltransferasas en hipotálamo como potenciales dianas para el control de la ingesta y el tratamiento de la obesidad Ministry of economy and competitiveness of Spain (SAF2014-52223-C2-1-R) (PI: Dolors Serra; Co-PI: Jordi García)
  • 2015 - 2017
    Estudio de las carnitina palmitoiltransferasas en hipotálamo como potenciales dianas para el control de la ingesta y tratamiento de la obesidad. Ministry of economy and competitiveness of Spain. SAF2014-5223-C2-1-R (PI: Dolors Serra)
  • 2014 - 2017
    Enhancing brown adipose tissue fat-burning power as a therapy against obesity-induced diabetes. Ministry of economy and competitiveness of Spain. SAF2013-45887-R (PI: Laura Herrero)
  • 2014 - 2016
    Consolidated research groups. Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR). (2014 SGR 465; 2014-2016) (PI: Dolors Serra)
  • 2014 - 2015
    Enhancing brown adipose tissue fat-burning power as a therapy against obesity-induced diabetes. L’Oréal-UNESCO Research Fellowship. (PI: Laura Herrero)
  • 2013 - 2015
    Enhancing brown adipose tissue fat-burning power as a therapy against obesity-induced diabetes. European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD) and Janssen Research Fellowship. (PI: Laura Herrero)
  • 2013 - 2014
    Enhancing brown adipose tissue fat-burning power as a therapy against obesity-induced diabetes. European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD)/Lilly Research Fellowship (PI: Laura Herrero)
  • 2012 - 2014
    New strategies of fatty acid oxidation modulation for the treatment of obesity. Ref. SAF2011-30520-C02-01. MICINN (PI: Dolors Serra)
  • 2012 - 2021
    Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN) CB06/03/0001. Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Sanidad. (PI: Xavier Remesar / Dolors Serra)
  • 2011 - 2013
    Fatty acid oxidation in the adipose tissue to revert obesity and type 2 diabetes. Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain. Ref. SAF2010-20039. (PI: Laura Herrero)