"Mechanisms for Glp1 Receptor Agonist-Induced Weight Loss: A Tale of Two Nutrient Sensors"
Julio Ayala, PhD
Associate Professor,
Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics,
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (Glp1) receptor (Glp1r) agonists are drugs originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes but that are now also approved to treat obesity by promoting weight loss. This talk describes ongoing research in my lab focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms by which Glp1r agonists promote weight loss.
Dr. Julio Ayala is an alumnus of Duke University (BS in Chemistry) and Vanderbilt University (PhD in the Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics) He got his start in the laboratory of Dr. Richard O’Brien studying regulation of gene transcription by insulin. Dr. Ayala joined the laboratory of Dr. David Wasserman in the Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics at Vanderbilt University as a post-doctoral researcher/research faculty using mouse models and metabolic phenotyping approaches to define control points for insulin action.
In 2009, he joined the faculty at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute as an Assistant Professor in the Metabolic Signaling and Disease Program. It was there that Dr. Ayala and his lab began studies investigating mechanisms behind the weight-lowering effects of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor agonists. Dr. Ayala was recruited back to the Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics at Vanderbilt University as an Associate Professor in 2017 where he continues his research program investigating the mechanism of action of Glp1r agonists and how they promote weight loss.
Objectives
The activity is designed to help the learner
- Describe background information about the biology and clinical use of Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (Glp1r) agonists.
- Discuss the importance of pre-clinical investigations on the mechanism of action of Glp1r agonists.
- Describe pre-clinical research conducted in the Ayala lab focusing on molecular mechanisms mediating the weight loss effect of Glp1r agonists.
This talk is sponsored by the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. This educational activity received no commercial support.