Latest News
We would like to keep our patients, families and professionals up to date with the latest developments in our research.
We may sometimes highlight particular “news reports” that may appear in the media, as there may be general points that are worth emphasising or challenging.
Professor Farooqi was at the University of Wolverhampton on Thursday 19 September 2019, being awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science in recognition of her contributions to biomedical science and her longstanding connection with the Midlands.
Read more: Professor Farooqi awarded Honorary Doctorate of Science
Prof. Sadaf Farooqi has been elected as a member of EMBO, an organisation of the best researchers in Europe and around the world
Many different variants in the MC4R gene are known to lead to early onset obesity in people. Excitingly, we have now been able to demonstrate that some variants have the opposite effect and may protect people from becoming overweight.
Read more: Some variants in the Melanocortin -4 Receptor (MC4R) may protect against obesity
We recently described the mechanism through which Steroid Receptor Coactivator (SRC)-1 regulates appetite and body weight.
Read more: Steroid Receptor Coactivator-1 modulates Pomc neurons involved in weight regulation
We recently discovered why some people manage to stay thin while others gain weight.
Read more: Genetic architecture of human thinness compared to severe obesity
We recently described the role of a group of neural guidance molecules, the Semaphorins in the development of hypothalamic brain circuits that regulate body weight.
Read more: Human Semaphorin 3 Variants Link Melanocortin Circuit Development and Energy Balance
This year the focus is on raising awareness of weight stigma
We recently reported the first comprehensive analysis of hypothalamic gene expression in patients with a genetic obesity syndrome.
Professor Farooqi appeared on the BBC One documentary, The Truth About Obesity, on 26th April.
The OSTRICH study seeks to identify factors that drive obesity-related complications in some young people.
In January we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the nationwide launch of the Genetics of Obesity Study (GOOS).
We used metabolomics to characterise the response to acute caloric restriction.
To raise awareness of men’s health issues, the GOOS team took part in Movember.
We report a comprehensive summary of MC4R mutations and a clinical trial in MC4R deficiency
Oct 2017
Autumn Newsletter Out Now
Our autumn newsletter is out now. You can read it online by visiting our Newsletters page, or subscribe by email to have it sent to you.
Oct 2017
New paper on a metabolomic signature of acute caloric restriction
In our recent article published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism we used metabolomics to characterise the response to acute caloric restriction in unprecedented detail.
Sep 2017
New paper includes a comprehensive summary of all the known mutations in MC4R
In our recent paper published in Molecular Metabolism we include a comprehensive summary of all the known mutations in MC4R, the commonest genetic form of obesity. In this review of the field, we pulled together all the published papers, as well as unpublished data from our own team and from Karine Clement's team in Paris so that we could provide a list of all the mutations in one place.
