Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded a Project Grant totaling $167,363 to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) effective March 1, 2026, through February 28, 2031, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847). This five-year research initiative investigates novel central nervous system (CNS) mechanisms to combat obesity by examining how specific neuronal populations in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus integrate nutrient-related signals to control peripheral energy and lipid metabolism. The research employs advanced neurobiological techniques, including brain-wide imaging of neuronal activation markers and single-nuclei and spatial transcriptomics, to identify lipid-responsive neurons and characterize the role of the transcription factor ZBTB16 (Zinc Finger and BTB Domain Containing 16) in regulating metabolic processes.

The grant supports UCLA's continued investigation into how disruptions in these CNS-mediated metabolic pathways contribute to obesity and insulin resistance, with the ultimate goal of developing evidence-based therapeutic strategies to address systemic metabolic dysfunction. Findings from this research are expected to elucidate previously poorly understood mechanisms linking hypothalamic function to whole-body energy metabolism, potentially identifying novel therapeutic targets for obesity and related metabolic diseases.