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Champalimaud Foundation researcher wins the Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology
The international Eppendorf & Science Prize in Neurobiology, which was established in 2002 and awards $25,000 annually to young scientists who have advanced our understanding of the brain and nervous system, has selected Ana Filipa Cardoso as a finalist for the prize. Cardoso's paper describing her work will be published Nov. 4 in the journal Science, along with papers from a second finalist and the grand prize winner. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and a master's degree in health sciences from the University of Minho, which introduced her to the field of immunology, Cardoso began a doctorate in the laboratory of Henrique Veiga-Fernandes...
Champalimaud Foundation researcher wins the Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology
The international Eppendorf & Science Prize in Neurobiology, which was established in 2002 and awards $25,000 annually to young scientists who have advanced our understanding of the brain and nervous system, has selected Ana Filipa Cardoso as a finalist for the prize. Cardoso's paper describing her work will be published Nov. 4 in the journal Science, along with papers from a second finalist and the grand prize winner.
After earning her bachelor's degree in biochemistry and a master's degree in health sciences at the University of Minho, which introduced her to the field of immunology, Cardoso began a doctoral degree in Henrique Veiga-Fernandes' laboratory at the Champalimaud Foundation to study the role of neuro-immune interactions in metabolism.
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Cardoso's mouse study showed how signals from the brain burn belly fat, also known as "visceral" fat. Visceral fat contains not only fat cells, but also nerve fibers and other cell types, including immune cells, that promote fat metabolism. Cardoso found that nerve cells send a “fat-burning” command to these immune cells through an unexpected intermediary, mesenchymal stem cells, which until recently had been largely overlooked.
Furthermore, after a series of careful experiments, Cardoso managed to identify the ultimate source of the fat-burning command: a structure buried deep in the brain called the hypothalamus, which controls many critical body functions, from hunger and thirst to body temperature and sleep.
Excess visceral fat is the most dangerous form of obesity and has been linked to several types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Cardoso's findings shed light on the natural brain-body mechanisms that reduce visceral fat and open up several potential therapeutic approaches that can artificially manipulate this fat-burning circuit to reduce fat stores.
Armed with this new knowledge of how the nervous and immune systems interact to control adipose tissue, Cardoso is now working at the Champalimaud Foundation-based biopharmaceutical company LiMM Therapeutics to translate this research into clinical applications and combat the increasing prevalence of obesity and its associated diseases.
Source:
Champalimaud Center for the Unknown
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