Are GLP-1R agonists the answer?
The new GLP1 class of drugs are hugely effective in the treatment of obesity. Originally developed for Type 2 diabetes, these drugs cause dramatic weight loss in people with overweight or obesity. But how do they work, and are these therapeutics the long sought after 'cure' to obesity? Here I will explain the mechanisms of action of GLP-1R agonists in the context of weight loss, their history, and discuss their importance as a therapeutic for obesity and type 2 diabetes, and whether or not they are safe in the long term.
Professor Giles S.H. Yeo, MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Cambridge
Giles Yeo is an alumnus of Wolfson College and got his PhD in molecular genetics from the University of Cambridge in 1998, after which he joined the lab of Prof Sir Stephen O’Rahilly, working on the genetics of severe human obesity. Giles Yeo is now a Professor of Molecular Neuroendocrinology and programme leader at the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit in Cambridge, and his research currently focuses on the influence of genes on feeding behaviour & body-weight. In addition, he is a fellow of Wolfson College and Honorary President of the British Dietetic Association. Giles is also a broadcaster and author, presenting science documentaries for the BBC, and hosts a podcast called ‘Dr Giles Yeo Chews The Fat’. His first book, ‘Gene Eating’ was published in December 2018, and his second book, Why Calories Don’t Count’ came out in June 2021. Giles was appointed an MBE in the Queen’s 2020 birthday honours for services to ‘Research, Communication and Engagement’. He won the Society for Endocrinology Medal in 2022.
Attending lectures
The lecture will be preceded by a short presentation from a CSAR PhD Award Winner.
Digging a cure out: how a soil bacterial toxin could prevent blindness in mitochondrial disease patients.
Dr. Lucia Luengo Gutierrez, MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge