Project Grant R01DK141555

Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded The Washington University a $720,353 Project Grant on March 25, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847). The award, which extends through January 31, 2031, funds basic biomedical research investigating neural circuits in the preoptic hypothalamus that regulate energy expenditure and metabolism. The research deliverables include identification and characterization of kappa opioid receptor-expressing neurons (POA-KOR+ neurons) and their role in controlling thermogenic energy expenditure, brown adipose tissue activation, and white adipose tissue remodeling. Research methodologies employed include fiber photometry, indirect calorimetry, metabolic profiling, thermal imaging, and mass spectrometry metabolomics to elucidate the circadian regulation and feeding inhibition patterns of these neural circuits.

The project addresses obesity-associated metabolic diseases through investigation of hypothalamic circuit adaptation mechanisms, with the ultimate objective of identifying therapeutic targets to increase thermogenic energy expenditure and facilitate weight loss through increased brown adipose tissue activity and white adipose tissue conversion to beige adipose tissue. The research will be conducted at The Washington University's Office of Sponsored Research Services in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to generate fundamental scientific knowledge regarding neural regulation of energy balance and metabolism with potential therapeutic applications for metabolic health improvement.