News

Genetic study shows how poor metabolic health causes premature ageing

29 April 2025

A study led by Dr Alexander Mörseburg* and colleagues at the IMS-MRL and MRC Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge, has used an “ageing clock” with UK Biobank data from 44,435 to show that people with type 2 diabetes and higher BMI were more likely to have a biological age older than their chronological age. As we age, levels of...

Dr Eleanor Raffan announced as a 2025 Springboard awardee by the Academy of Medical Sciences

10 April 2025

Congratulations to one of our Affiliated PIs, Dr. Eleanor Raffan from the IMS-MRL and Department of Physiology, Development and Neurosciences, who has been awarded £125,000 through the Springboard programme from the Academy of Medical Sciences. This grant, alongside mentoring and career development support will allow her...

New review on the GIP receptor and metabolic control

7 April 2025

A new review article by Paula-Peace James-Okoro, PhD student with the Gribble/Reimann group, and colleagues at the IMS-MRL, which was recently published in Frontiers in Endocrinology , explores how the Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) contributes to the regulation of appetite, body weight, and...

photo of stephen O'rahilly and berthold medal

Professor Stephen O’Rahilly honoured with the Berthold Medal at the 68th German Congress of Endocrinology

24 March 2025

Professor Stephen O’Rahilly was recently awarded the Berthold Medal at the 68th German Congress of Endocrinology held in Baden Baden last week. The award took place as part of the Berthold Lecture on 20th March, in which Stephen gave an insight into his scientific work with his lecture on “ Adventures in Endocrinology...

Dogs provide insight into obesity genetics

6 March 2025

A study published in Science highlights the value of pet dogs as a model for understanding obesity in both humans and animals. This work was led by IMS-MRL and University of Cambridge Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience (PDN) researcher Dr Eleanor Raffan , along with PhD students Dr Natalie Wallis and Dr...

Diabetes UK-funded study shows a reduced calorie diet in late pregnancy is safe and beneficial for women with gestational diabetes.

19 February 2025

We are delighted to have been part of this groundbreaking Diabetes UK-funded study into safety & benefits of a reduced calorie diet in late pregnancy in women with gestational diabetes. The Dietary Intervention in Gestational Diabetes (DiGest) trial involved researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Leicester...

Mapping the Human Hypothalamus: A Breakthrough in Understanding Metabolic Health

5 February 2025

Researchers at the IMS-MRL and MRC MDU in collaboration with a team at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne, have created the most detailed map to date of the human hypothalamus, a crucial brain region that regulates body weight, appetite, sleep, and stress. Published in Nature , this comprehensive...

Brown adipose tissue is associated with reduced weight loss and risk of cancer cachexia

3 February 2025

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a special type of body fat that burns calories to generate heat and it has been studied for its potential to fight metabolic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Recent research suggests it may also play a role in conditions involving extreme weight and muscle loss (e.g. cancer cachexia...

Global Commission advocates changes to definition of obesity

16 January 2025

A global Commission, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology and endorsed by more than 75 medical organisations around the world, presents a new approach to diagnose obesity, based on measures of excess body fat in addition to body mass index (BMI), and objective signs and symptoms of ill health. The...

Orthopedia regulates melanocortin 4 receptor transcription and energy homeostasis

16 January 2025

Genetic studies have shown that the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) plays a critical role in regulating food intake and body weight. However, surprisingly, little is known about how MC4R expression is regulated in the brain. In a study published in Science Translational Medicine , the Farooqi team collaborated with Chen Lui...