UC Science Today

Could flipping a molecular switch in human fat cells prevent metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes? A research team led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco is getting closer after identifying a similar pathway in mice that converts unhealthy white fat into calorie-burning brown fat. PhD student Kevin Tharp of the University of California, Berkeley recently studied brown fat’s role in reduced weight gain and describes this process as the “browning” of white fat.

"Which is where white fat cells basically evolve to become more brown fat-like. And that’s exactly what occurs when you’re exposed to cold for long periods of time."

Although browning is a natural process, researchers are looking to actively harness brown fat’s energy-burning capability by developing drugs and other therapeutic procedures to eventually combat obesity and diabetes.

"The expansion of brown-fat tissues could be used as a preventative measure or a treatment measure."

Could flipping a molecular switch in human fat cells prevent metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes? A research team led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco is getting closer after identifying a similar pathway in mice that converts unhealthy white fat into calorie-burning brown fat. PhD student Kevin Tharp of the University of California, Berkeley recently studied brown fat’s role in reduced weight gain and describes this process as the “browning” of white fat.

"Which is where white fat cells basically evolve to become more brown fat-like. And that’s exactly what occurs when you’re exposed to cold for long periods of time."

Although browning is a natural process, researchers are looking to actively harness brown fat’s energy-burning capability by developing drugs and other therapeutic procedures to eventually combat obesity and diabetes.

"The expansion of brown-fat tissues could be used as a preventative measure or a treatment measure."

Could flipping a molecular switch in human fat cells prevent metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes? A research team led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco is getting closer after identifying a similar pathway in mice that converts unhealthy white fat into calorie-burning brown fat. PhD student Kevin Tharp of the University of California, Berkeley recently studied brown fat’s role in reduced weight gain and describes this process as the “browning” of white fat.

"Which is where white fat cells basically evolve to become more brown fat-like. And that’s exactly what occurs when you’re exposed to cold for long periods of time."

Although browning is a natural process, researchers are looking to actively harness brown fat’s energy-burning capability by developing drugs and other therapeutic procedures to eventually combat obesity and diabetes.

"The expansion of brown-fat tissues could be used as a preventative measure or a treatment measure."

Despite being Earth’s most abundant and diverse form of life, we still know very little about microbes. Now, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is leading a new national research effort called the Unified Microbiome Initiative, which is aimed at understanding and harnessing the planet’s microbial ecosystems. Postdoctoral scholar Amor Menezes has been studying how microbes can aid future space missions by producing food, fuels, and pharmaceuticals from limited resources.

"You can think of them as bacteria, so they’re really small organisms. They’re singled-celled. And we have them essentially all around us. And so these microbes will take kind of these available resources, and they will produce this chemical of interest, and then the idea is that either we leverage this chemical of interest to produce other things, again using microbes, or maybe that chemical is interesting in and of itself. Maybe it’s food, maybe it’s fuel because we can combine with something else."

Menezes says this can lead to innovations in agriculture, energy, health, and the environment.

Photo caption: A colorized microscopy image hints at the complexity of microbial life. It shows two bacterial cells in soil. The bacteria glue clay particles together and protect themselves from predators. This also stabilizes soil and stores carbon that could otherwise enter the atmosphere. (Credit: Manfred Auer, Berkeley Lab)

Despite being Earth’s most abundant and diverse form of life, we still know very little about microbes. Now, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is leading a new national research effort called the Unified Microbiome Initiative, which is aimed at understanding and harnessing the planet’s microbial ecosystems. Postdoctoral scholar Amor Menezes has been studying how microbes can aid future space missions by producing food, fuels, and pharmaceuticals from limited resources.

"You can think of them as bacteria, so they’re really small organisms. They’re singled-celled. And we have them essentially all around us. And so these microbes will take kind of these available resources, and they will produce this chemical of interest, and then the idea is that either we leverage this chemical of interest to produce other things, again using microbes, or maybe that chemical is interesting in and of itself. Maybe it’s food, maybe it’s fuel because we can combine with something else."

Menezes says this can lead to innovations in agriculture, energy, health, and the environment.

Photo caption: A colorized microscopy image hints at the complexity of microbial life. It shows two bacterial cells in soil. The bacteria glue clay particles together and protect themselves from predators. This also stabilizes soil and stores carbon that could otherwise enter the atmosphere. (Credit: Manfred Auer, Berkeley Lab)

Despite being Earth’s most abundant and diverse form of life, we still know very little about microbes. Now, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is leading a new national research effort called the Unified Microbiome Initiative, which is aimed at understanding and harnessing the planet’s microbial ecosystems. Postdoctoral scholar Amor Menezes has been studying how microbes can aid future space missions by producing food, fuels, and pharmaceuticals from limited resources.

"You can think of them as bacteria, so they’re really small organisms. They’re singled-celled. And we have them essentially all around us. And so these microbes will take kind of these available resources, and they will produce this chemical of interest, and then the idea is that either we leverage this chemical of interest to produce other things, again using microbes, or maybe that chemical is interesting in and of itself. Maybe it’s food, maybe it’s fuel because we can combine with something else."

Menezes says this can lead to innovations in agriculture, energy, health, and the environment.

Photo caption: A colorized microscopy image hints at the complexity of microbial life. It shows two bacterial cells in soil. The bacteria glue clay particles together and protect themselves from predators. This also stabilizes soil and stores carbon that could otherwise enter the atmosphere. (Credit: Manfred Auer, Berkeley Lab)

The human gut microbiome alone has been linked to allergies, obesity and inflammatory bowel disease to name a few. Now, to advance studies of the microbiomes found in the gut and everywhere else, the University of California, San Diego has announced the Microbiome and Microbial Sciences Initiative. Chancellor Pradeep Khosla says this interdisciplinary effort is a bold new research project.

"We will further our understanding of the communities of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that live on our bodies and everywhere around us and we will find new ways to manipulate the microbiomes for the benefit of human and environmental health. We at UC San Diego are uniquely positioned to meet this challenge."

Khosla says that’s because the initiative will draw from the expertise of many different disciplines and resources on the campus.

"They will unite to advance our microbiome research and create educational opportunities for our students. We are excited about this new initiative and we know it will transform lives."

The human gut microbiome alone has been linked to allergies, obesity and inflammatory bowel disease to name a few. Now, to advance studies of the microbiomes found in the gut and everywhere else, the University of California, San Diego has announced the Microbiome and Microbial Sciences Initiative. Chancellor Pradeep Khosla says this interdisciplinary effort is a bold new research project.

"We will further our understanding of the communities of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that live on our bodies and everywhere around us and we will find new ways to manipulate the microbiomes for the benefit of human and environmental health. We at UC San Diego are uniquely positioned to meet this challenge."

Khosla says that’s because the initiative will draw from the expertise of many different disciplines and resources on the campus.

"They will unite to advance our microbiome research and create educational opportunities for our students. We are excited about this new initiative and we know it will transform lives."

The human gut microbiome alone has been linked to allergies, obesity and inflammatory bowel disease to name a few. Now, to advance studies of the microbiomes found in the gut and everywhere else, the University of California, San Diego has announced the Microbiome and Microbial Sciences Initiative. Chancellor Pradeep Khosla says this interdisciplinary effort is a bold new research project.

"We will further our understanding of the communities of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that live on our bodies and everywhere around us and we will find new ways to manipulate the microbiomes for the benefit of human and environmental health. We at UC San Diego are uniquely positioned to meet this challenge."

Khosla says that’s because the initiative will draw from the expertise of many different disciplines and resources on the campus.

"They will unite to advance our microbiome research and create educational opportunities for our students. We are excited about this new initiative and we know it will transform lives."

Low-cost mobile tools developed by the University of California, Davis may soon take the guesswork out of current tests for sports-related concussions. Khizer Khaderi, the director of neuro-ophthalmology at the UC Davis Eye Center, found a way to more objectively measure for concussions by assessing the eye-brain connection.

"Over a third of the brain is dedicated to your vision. So given my expertise and the study and measurement of vision, so we came up with a device that uses a mobile solution that involves biometrics around different types of eye movements, pupil response and brainwave activity."

Current cognitive tests compare results to previous baseline measurements. But players who want to stay in the game can deliberately fudge those baseline tests so if an injury does occur, their results are not too different from their baseline scores.

"The current screening that's going on with cognitive testing is great, I mean it’s better than having nothing and what we’re trying to do is just continue to improve that process with this solution that we’re proposing and we’re going to be testing this fall."