Targeting the gut in metabolic disease

Hormones from the gut control blood glucose and appetite. Gastric bypass surgery, used to treat obesity, often reverse diabetes, at least partly by increasing gut hormone levels. Peptides based on the gut hormone GLP-1 are already used for diabetes and obesity treatment, and other gut peptides are in clinical trials. To develop alternatives to injecting peptide-based drugs we aim to understand what controls the release of gut hormones. Gut hormone-releasing cells are, however, difficult to identify, so we will tag them with fluorescent markers in human mini-gut cultures. This makes it possible to study these cells in detail and to identify novel ways to stimulate them. We will also look for new gut hormones that are altered after food intake, or in metabolic disease. The long-term aim is to identify new oral treatments for diabetes and obesity mimicking intestinal changes after gastric bypass surgery.