Project description
Gut microbes may help us fight metabolic disorders
Obesity and related disorders such as type 2 diabetes are becoming global epidemics. The link between these diseases and microbes in the human gut (microbiota) is increasingly clear but the mechanisms are not well understood. The EU-funded Healthybiota project is using high-tech methods to investigate the role of gut microbiota in brown fat regulation. Unlike common white fat, brown fat is a metabolic powerhouse. Packed with mitochondria and heavily innervated by the sympathetic nervous system, it turns chemical energy into heat via non-shivering thermogenesis. Using mouse models and human subjects, the team hopes to gain insight into brown fat regulation to develop treatments for metabolic disorders.
Objective
Obesity is a metabolic disorder leading to various health risks and reduced life expectancy. Insulin resistance is a major obesity related disorder, and a main cause for the onset of type 2 diabetes. During cold exposure or caloric restriction (CR), brown adipocytes emerge within the white fat (known as “beige” cells). This process, referred to as fat browning, increases the metabolic capacity of the adipose tissues to combust energy and is seen as promising anti-obesity and anti-diabetic strategy. The intestinal microbiota co-develops with the host; microbiota depletion, or cold-induced shift of its composition are sufficient to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism, in part mediated by the innate immune system-mediated fat browning. The microbial signals and composition, critical for our understanding of the microbiota-host mutualism and metabolic improvements during cold and CR, remain unclear.
By integrating expertise from several areas including physiology, bioinformatics, immunology, microbiology and developmental biology; and by developing computational approaches for comparing the metagenomics, metabolomics and transcriptomics data from the CR- and the cold-exposed mice with cohorts of human subjects, we will establish the microbiota role in orchestrating the CR-induced metabolic improvements and innate immune response, and provide mechanistic explanations on the microbiota-host mutualism during CR and cold. Finally, by using lineage-tracing studies and developing transgenic mouse models, we will determine the importance of the beige fat in the CR-induced beneficial effects on the host, and the importance of the microbiota in mediating this process. Manipulating the gut microbiota and exploiting the mechanistic links revealed by this study would be of conceptual importance for our understanding of microbiota-host mutualism in the metabolic homeostasis, and could lead to development of novel therapeutics for improving metabolic health.
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 endocrinology diabetes
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology homeostasis
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition obesity
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
-
H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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-2018-COG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
1211 Geneve
Switzerland
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.