Abstract: 

Obesity-associated insulin resistance is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. However, in East Asia, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is high, even with normal body mass index. In addition to high visceral adiposity, Asian patients with type 2 diabetes have increased accumulation of ectopic fat (e.g., in liver, skeletal muscle).

Dietary factors such as food texture affect feeding behavior and s metabolism, potentially causing obesity and type 2 diabetes. Recently, we investigated the effect of food texture on energy metabolism in rats by using standard pelleted chow (control pellets [CPs]) or the same pellets to which we added water (soft pellets [SPs]). Despite the similarities in caloric intake and body weight between the two groups, the rats fed SPs on a 3-h time-restricted feeding schedule for 14 weeks showed glucose intolerance, insulin resistance with disruption of hepatic insulin signaling, and hyperplasia of pancreatic b-cells. We also investigated the mechanism of muscle atrophy in rats that had been fed SPs for 24 weeks. The skeletal muscles of SP rats were histologically atrophic and demonstrated disrupted insulin signaling. Furthermore, we learned that the muscle atrophy of the SP rats developed via the IL-6–STAT3–SOCS3 and ubiquitin–proteasome pathways. These findings suggest that the phenotype of the SP group may be similar to that of East Asian type 2 diabetes. Futhermore, our data show that the dietary habit of consuming soft foods can lead to not only glucose intolerance or insulin resistance but also muscle atrophy.

Abstract: 

Stem cells are increasingly used to model human disorders, employed as a tool in drug discovery and leveraged for their therapeutic value. In our lab, we have successfully developed stem cell-derived organoids or 3D cultures of the miniature liver, brain, and cartilage along with cancer stem cell models to explore many aspects of biology- molecular and cellular mechanisms, drug testing systems and transplantable cellular resources. From the perspective of regenerative medicine for developing treatment for aging associated diseases, we have developed a multiple-cell system using stem cells to study both degenerative diseases and characterise the therapeutic value of stem cells as single and combination therapy as potential treatment modalities for various degenerative conditions. In order to make stem cell transplantation a success, we have been developing rejuvenation strategies for ageing stem cells and expanding their therapeutic value by improving the stem cell bioprocessing pipeline in collaboration with industrial partners. While one arm of the lab is focusing on regenerative medicine, the other arm is dedicated to developing cancer stem cell models and key regulatory targets through integrated multi-omic bioinformatics analysis and targeted regulators that will enable the targeting of the resistant population in a tumour, therefore eradicating cancer. In this talk, I will highlight how we can leverage stem cell biology to understand disease mechanisms, modelling the diseases and leverage their potential for realising regenerative medicine, along with how stem cell may answer some of your research questions and produce a work with high scientific merit.

Abstract:

Sleep disorders are prevalent in the general population. Obstructive sleep apnea, Insomnia, Narcolepsy,  and Legs Syndrome are example of common sleep disorders encountered in clinical practice.  C urrent diagnostic approach, which relies heavily on overnight polysomnograms (sleep studies), is costly and time-consuming. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising tool to identify complex patterns in sleep and non-sleep diagnostic tools through predictive machine learning(ML) models. These patterns may be missed by humans and traditional statistical methods. Cardiac electrocardiograms is an example of non-sleep tool that can be used at the office to identify patients at risk for sleep apnea. AI can also reduce the workload of labor-intensive tasks such as scoring sleep studies, allowing healthcare professionals to focus more on direct patient care. AI can improve precision medicine. AI-based CPAP mask fitting using face scanning technology is example of personalized medicine. Bioengineers and clinicians are particularly interested in automated processing of vast amounts of electrophysiologic data from sleep studies. ML models use algorithms to identify patterns in sleep-related data, aiding in more precise classification of sleep disorders. Narcolepsy for example is a challenging sleep disorder to diagnose and treat. AI can identify algorithms for precision-based and personalized diagnosis and management. The availability of public sleep datasets, comprising thousands of recordings from sleep labs and research studies, has facilitated the development of ML models by providing ample data for training. Integrating AI into sleep medicine has the potential to improve diagnostic  and treatment accuracyof sleep disorders.

Abstract:
Central nervous system injury is a major cause of motor and cognitive disability. Neuroinflammation is a common factor in the pathogenesis of brain injury and influences functional outcomes after injury. NF-kB is a central regulator of the immune response to injury in the central nervous system. Interestingly, NF-kB signaling can mediate both cell death and cell survival, depending on the cell type and duration of exposure. Microglia are the intrinsic immune cells of the central nervous system and, as such, are typically regulated by NF-KB signaling in the setting of inflammation. The impact of NF-kB signaling within CNS disease may reveal opportunities for targeted therapies. In one such brain injury, neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), targeted therapies to regulate inflammation may impact the extent of damage during the primary phase of injury (0-6 hours after birth), but not the secondary phase of injury (6-120 hours after birth). Evidence supporting modulation of NF-kB signaling in animal models of HIE will be reviewed and the impacts and timing of NF-kB signaling in a novel mouse model of neonatal HIE will be presented. Ultimately, modulation of inflammation in neonatal HIE and other CNS disorders is a targetable pathway for novel therapies that may significantly impact long-term functional outcomes.