Objective
Obesity is associated with adipose tissue dysfunction and greatly increased risk for developing not only metabolic pathologies but also cardiovascular disease (CVD). While insulin resistance and adipose-derived cytokines are established drivers of vascular dysfunction and atherosclerosis initiation, the direct contribution of changes in white adipose tissue (WAT) lipid uptake on vascular health has remained unresolved, yet would open up novel treatment opportunities. My lab has built an arsenal of unique transgenic mouse models and organotypic human in vitro systems for mapping WAT lipid dynamics, yielding exciting preliminary data and the opportunity for us to now address this key question. In WATs-UP, we will untangle the mechanisms reducing WAT fatty acid uptake in obesity on a cellular, molecular and systemic level across humans and mice, and map the consequences for vascular function and atherosclerosis initiation. Specifically, we will harness insights from novel transgenic mouse lines developed by my lab to show how obesity-driven adipocyte enlargement alters WAT uptake of cholesterol and fatty acids; use our human 3D model of unilocular adipocytes to map how increased cholesterol uptake during obesity impairs adipocyte fatty acid metabolism; and transgenic mice to determine the relative contribution of triglyceridemia versus other WAT-derived cardiovascular risk factors for vascular lipid accumulation. Together, WATs-UP will significantly advance our molecular understanding of how weight gain fuels triglyceridemia and vascular dysfunction, opening novel therapeutic opportunities to combat both metabolic and CVD in obesity. With my combined expertise in metabolism and vascular biology, and the unique experimental in vivo and in vitro models developed by us, we are in a prime position to resolve the mechanisms controlling lipid dynamics of the obese WAT and their consequences for cardiovascular health, and identify novel preventive targets against them.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine cardiology cardiovascular diseases arteriosclerosis
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition obesity
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
171 77 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.