While gender-specific differences in the development of obesity comorbidities have been well studied, very little is known about the intrinsic functional differences between male and female adipocytes, and the mechanisms driving these differences. Supported by the DDA funding, Marleen will perform an unbiased in-depth analysis of human adipocytes of different adipose tissue depots; subcutaneous tissue (around the hips) and abdominal tissue (called belly fat), and thereby determine the intrinsic differences in gene expression and epigenomic profiles between lean and obese men and women. Altogether, this work aims to provide novel systems wide insights into the molecular mechanisms which can lead to the development of gender-tailored approaches for the prevention of obesity comorbidities.
More information can be found on the DDA websites: