Adaptation of human brown adipose tissue to overnutrition

Informazioni relative al progetto

BATON

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101028941

DOI

10.3030/101028941

Progetto concluso il 31 Agosto 2025

Data della firma CE 6 Aprile 2021

Data di avvio 1 Aprile 2022

Data di completamento 19 Settembre 2025

Finanziato da

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Costo totale

€ 250 497,60

Contributo UE

€ 250 497,60

Coordinato da

UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BATON (Adaptation of human brown adipose tissue to overnutrition)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-04-01 al 2025-03-31

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is highly thermogenic and produces heat to maintain mammals’ body temperature. BAT’s role in adaptation to overfeeding and protecting from diet-induced obesity is well established in rodents. A decade ago, several research teams confirmed the presence of metabolically active BAT in human adults. The EU-funded BATON project develops a new method of precise measurement of human BAT volume and thermogenic capacity. The approach is based on recent advances in human BAT metabolism and will involve a randomized crossover study with 10 healthy adults. The developed method will be applied in the proof-of-concept study of BAT volume and thermogenic capacity changes in response to overfeeding.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

The first part of the project has been successfully completed. Overall, the results of the study performed within WP2, refuted the initial hypotheses: 48 µg of inhaled formoterol does not increase BAT thermogenesis, nor increase whole-body energy expenditure. These results have been disseminated in scientific conferences and a manuscript reporting these results in detail is in preparation.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

After having completed its method-development phase, the project will now switch towards investigating the adaptations suffered by human BAT in response to a sustained alteration of energy balance. This will help understanding the role of this tissue in human weight management.

Poster sumarizing the main results of experiment 1