The lectureship is awarded by the Biochemical Society to a scientist researching mammalian metabolism.
The Sir Philip Randle lectureship was instituted in honour of one of the world's foremost researchers into mammalian metabolism and is awarded biennially to a scientist from any part of the world. The awardee is selected on the basis of their contribution to the understanding of mammalian metabolism.
Professor Vidal-Puig's research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms linking obesity with insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiometabolic complications and on the development of related therapeutic strategies. His research strategies include a combination of hypothesis driven and non-biased systems approaches that make extensive use of animal models, stem cell biology, human biological samples (including induced pluripotent stem cells), sophisticated omics technologies and bioinformatics integration. Vidal-Puig’s lab creativity is reflected in the “adipose tissue expandability hypothesis” and the concept of “lipotoxicity” to explain the association between obesity and cardiometabolic complications.
His specific scientific contributions to four lines of research are: 1. defining the adipose tissue expandability and lipotoxicity hypothesis and the relevance of adipose tissue macrophages mediating adipose tissue inflammation; 2. proposing the use of energy dissipating strategies to reverse lipotoxicity by promoting mitochondrial biogenesis, mitochondrial uncoupling and brown fat differentiation and activation; 3. establishing the relevance of hypothalamic lipid metabolism in controlling energy homeostasis and thyroid hormone and BMP8b controlling brown fat activation and 4. the pioneering use of systems biology and stem cell approaches to elucidate the role of specific lipids and networks in the development the cardiometabolic syndrome.
Prof Vidal-Puig said: "I am delighted with this award that recognises the excellent work of the members of my laboratory over the years."