Research profile

​The aim of the joint research project 'Obesity Mechanisms' is to investigate the aetiological mechanisms of morbid obesity, so that they can be used to inform new types of treatment. The project, which is being conducted with the participation of a large number of university institutions and research groups from the Helmholtz and Max Planck Institutes in Leipzig and Ben-Gurion University in Israel, adopts a highly interdisciplinary approach. Researchers are focusing on three key areas:

1. Overeating: An investigation into brain function and brain structure in adiposity, appetite modulation, satiety and reward systems, and the development of neurocognitive models of behaviour management

2. The function and distribution of adipose tissue: Identifying the genes which are partly responsible for the maldistribution and dysfunction of adipose tissue, and the identification and functional characterisation of key molecules involved in adipose tissue functioning

3. Adipose tissue hormones (adipokines): The effect of signals from the adipose tissue, the functioning of adipokines, and their role in the development of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases from childhood to adulthood

Cells communicate with each other and with their environment via receptors. The G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest group of membrane receptors and occur in almost all living organisms. In the Collaborative Research Centre 1423​ "Structural Dynamics of GPCR Activation and Signaling", scientists from the life sciences, medicine, pharmacy and bioinformatics of our university are investigating the interactions of GPCRs, the peptide receptors and the adhesion receptors, which have so far been little studied, together with their partners at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. 

One goal of the CRC is to clarify the dynamic structural states of these GPCRs in order to understand their functions. This could lead to the development of novel therapeutics for this class of GPCRs. PhD students of the CRC are trained in the integrated Graduate School.​