Obesity and type 2 diabetes

Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are closely interconnected conditions that significantly affect global health. Understanding this relationship is critical for developing effective interventions and therapies. At PromoCell, we help researchers study the link between obesity and type 2 diabetes, which is key to developing effective therapies.

 Obesity is much more than just excess body weight. This gradual weight gain triggers a cascade of metabolic disorders, with T2D being one of the most strongly associated with obesity. More than two-thirds of patients with T2D are also diagnosed with overweight or obesity.¹

In T2D, high blood sugar levels result from decreased insulin sensitivity, mainly because of a reduction in the number of functional beta cells. Obesity significantly contributes to this process by: ²

• Increasing genetic and epigenetic vulnerabilities
• Creating changes in the body that impair insulin signaling
• Worsening the function of beta cells in the pancreas
• Disrupting the microbiome-gut-brain axis

Long-term high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) in individuals with T2D can lead to serious complications and health effects.

Approximately 7% of the world’s population is affected by T2D, and this number is projected to increase by more than 50% globally by 2045 3. Based on the alarming trends in the incidence of obesity and T2D, researchers are striving to better understand the molecular mechanisms linking these two conditions.

We offer a wide range of physiologically relevant primary human cell culture models to support obesity and T2D research. Our portfolio includes HLA-typed preadipocytes isolated from the subcutaneous or visceral fatty tissues of individual donors .

To accelerate your diabetes research, we offer both type 1 and type 2 diabetes donor-derived preadipocytes as well as ready-to-use adipocyte media to ensure optimal cell growth, differentiation, and maintenance.

• Human Preadipocyte Cell Culture
• Human Skeletal Muscle Cell Culture
• Human Cardiac Myocyte Cell Culture

References

Selected publications

Here is a selection of publications that have successfully used our products:

• Hornung, F., Schulz, L., Köse-Vogel, N. et al. Thoracic adipose tissue contributes to severe virus infection of the lung. Int J Obes 47, 1088–1099 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-023-01362-w
• Whitehead, A., Krause, F.N., Moran, A. et al. Brown and beige adipose tissue regulate systemic metabolism through a metabolite interorgan signaling axis. Nat Commun 12, 1905 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22272-3
• Tarekegn Geberhiwot, Shanat Baig, Cathy Obringer, Dorothée Girard, Charlotte Dawson, Konstantinos Manolopoulos, Nadia Messaddeq, Pierre Bel Lassen, Karine Clement, Jeremy W. Tomlinson, Richard P. Steeds, Hélène Dollfus, Nikolai Petrovsky, Vincent Marion; Relative Adipose Tissue Failure in Alström Syndrome Drives Obesity-Induced Insulin Resistance. Diabetes 1 February 2021; 70 (2): 364–376.
  https://doi.org/10.2337/db20-0647
• Pan, D.Z., Miao, Z., Comenho, C. et al. Identification of TBX15 as an adipose master trans regulator of abdominal obesity genes. Genome Med 13, 123 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13073-021-00939-2
• Ahluwalia A, Misto A, Vozzi F, et al. Systemic and vascular inflammation in an in-vitro model of central obesity. PLoS One. 2018;13(2):e0192824. Published 2018 Feb 13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192824