Louise Aas Holm - PhD Scholarship 2023
Project summary:
Adipose tissue distribution and cardiometabolic risk factors in children treated for obesity
In paediatric obesity care we are currently lacking biomarkers and etiological insights related to stratification of cardiometabolic disease risk, treatment response, and prediction of future risk. We will integrate clinical data, including information on body fat distribution, with genetic and omics data to understand the relationship between the adipose tissue and cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents treated for obesity.
Project Title
Adipose tissue distribution and cardiometabolic risk factors in children treated for obesity
Background
Cardiometabolic disease risk is a heterogeneous trait among children with obesity, which can track into adulthood and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and shorten life expectancy. In adults, the adipose tissue size and distribution has been linked to cardiometabolic disease, but less is known in children. Advances in precision medicine, integrating clinical data with genetic and omics data, has potential to unravel biological pathways and characterize the heterogeneity of early cardiometabolic disease risk.
Aim
This PhD project aims to 1) map adipose tissue distribution and cardiometabolic risk factors in children treated for obesity, 2) identify precision diagnostic and treatment response biomarkers related to adipose tissue distribution and cardiometabolic risk, and 3) investigate the in vitro function of subcutaneous adipocytes in individuals with high and low degree of insulin resistance, respectively.
Methods
The project will examine already collected clinical data, including DXA measured adipose tissue distribution, cardiometabolic risk factors, genetic risk scores, lipidomics, proteomics, and inflammatory markers from 3,100 children from The HOLBAEK Study. The children have been followed for up to 10 years. In 30+30 young adults who exhibited high or low degree of insulin resistance during childhood, we will conduct a 10-year recall study.
Louise Aas Holm
- MD
- Place of employment: Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
- Collaborating workplace: The Children’s Obesity Clinic, Department of Paediatrics, Holbæk Hospital
- Graduate School: Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
Main supervisor:
Torben Hansen, MD, PhD, Professor, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
Co-supervisors:
Cilius Esmann Fonvig, Paediatrician and Associate Professor, The Children’s Obesity Clinic, Department of Paediatrics, Holbæk Hospital
Ruth Loos, Professor, Vice Executive Director, Novo Nordisk Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
Thomas Jespersen, Professor, Cardiac Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen