Medical Research Breakfast presented by Monash University Medical Foundation

Venue Persimmon Room National Gallery of Victoria 180 St Kilda Road Melbourne Date Thursday, 13 August 2009 Time 7.15am - 9.00am Cost $55 per person or $50 for alumni Format Panel presentation over the course of breakfast Panel Speakers Professor Iain Clarke Head of Department, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University. Professor Brian Oldfield Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University.  Professorial Fellow and Chairperson, Monash University Obesity Initiative (MORI). Professor Michael Cowley Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University.  Professorial Fellow,VESKI Innovation Fellow and Pfizer Senior Research Fellow.   Associate Professor Matthew Watt Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University.  Senior Research Fellow,  Laboratory Head, Biology of Lipid Metabolism Laboratory, and R. Douglas Wright Fellow (NHMRCA).

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Panel presentation abstracts

Prof Iain Clarke: "Burning Issues: thermogenesis as a big spender of energy"

Trying to control obesity by programs of dieting just does not work! How much fat is deposited in the body is determined by the rate of energy expenditure as well as energy intake. It may be easier to develop a therapeutic for the former rather than the latter. One way that the body burns energy is through a process of heat generation called 'thermogenesis'. We have been exploring novel mechanisms for the upregulation of thermogenesis as well as identifying individuals with a high or low rate of thermogenesis.

Prof Brian Oldfield: "Doing Laps: getting to understand how lapbands work"

It is sad but true that there is currently no effective lifestyle or pharmacological remedy that will significantly reduce body weight in the morbidly obese.  Modest losses of between 5% and 10% of body weight can be achieved by currently available medications if therapies are combined and continued.  By comparison 50-70% of excess body weight can be achieved through bariatric surgical approaches.  In this country the most widely used surgical treatment is the adjustable gastric band which is effective in profoundly reducing body weight and type 2 diabetes but does so through poorly defined mechanisms.  In order to address this mystery we have developed an animal model where we can better define the role nerve pathways, hormones and their effects on the brain.

Prof Michael Cowley: "The Brain is the Fat Controller"

Increased body fat contributes a strong risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Body fat levels are tightly controlled by a high fidelity feedback between the body and the brain. In a year an individual consumes around a million calories, yet gains only a few pounds. We have de-coded how the brain interprets body fat levels, and how that code breaks down in obesity. The same neural system seems to be responsible for regulating glucose levels in the blood, and we have devised a therapy which rapidly corrects blood sugar levels in diabetic animals.

A/Prof Matt Watt: "Fat Talks: how the function of fat changes in obesity"

Obesity predisposes individuals to the development of other complications including type 2 diabetes. Understanding how increasing fat stores contributes to diabetes remains the subject of intense investigation. Fat was once considered to be an inert energy storage depot, but it is now recognised as a dynamic organ that secretes many factors. These factors signal changes in its size and energy status to other organs that control fuel usage, such as skeletal muscle, liver and the brain.  We have recently shown that blocking the action of a previously unknown fat-released factor reverses many of the metabolic defects on diabetes.

For further information please contact Megan Keating on 9905 5971 or email megan.keating@med.monash.edu.au