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Philip McTernan

Technical Summary

My team has been examining the importance of human adipose tissue (AT) in metabolic disease with particular interest in overlapping metabolic and immune function contributing to obesity mediated T2DM and cardiovascular disease. This concept has led us to explore the role of human AT in several overlapping areas of metabolic disease including, sub-clinical inflammation, obesity mediated hypertension, ectopic fat, neuropeptides & adipose tissue, adipocytokines, the ‘gut-fat-brain’ axis, ER Stress, endothelial dysfunction as well as adipogenesis. These studies have sought to address the mediators and mechanisms contributing to pathology of obesity and T2DM using a translational approach, exploring the role of known and novel medicines; understanding intracellular mechanisms; examining dietary intervention or surgical weight loss studies as well as using ex vivo tissue, including human epicardial fat, myocardial tissue, skeletal muscle, and AT. The multidisciplinary team consists of clinical and non-clinical scientists within Warwick Medical School and other departments (Life Sciences, Engineering, Warwick Manufacturing Group, (WMG), Warwick Systems Biology and University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)). The following highlights key research areas within my team:

¥Sub-clinical inflammation in pre- and post-T2DM

¥Nutritional dietary intervention

¥Inducers of metabolic stress in obesity and T2DM

¥Mitochondria, obesity & T2DM

¥Biomarkers of metabolic risk

Selected publications:

1. Harte AL, Varma MC, Tripathi G, McGee KC, Al-Daghri NM, Al-Attas OS, Sabico S, O'Hare JP, Ceriello A, Saravanan P, Kumar S, McTernan PG. (2012). High fat intake leads to acute postprandial exposure to circulating endotoxin in type 2 diabetic subjects. Diabetes Care. Feb;35(2):375-82. 

2. Kos K, Baker AR, Jernas M, Harte AL, Clapham JC, O'Hare JP, Carlsson L, Kumar S, McTernan PG. (2009) DPP-IV inhibition enhances the antilipolytic action of NPY in human adipose tissue. Diabetes Obes Metab.11(4):285-92.

3. Baker AR, Harte AL, Howell N, Pritlove DC, Ranasinghe AM, da Silva NF, Youssef EM, Khunti K, Davies MJ, Bonser RS, Kumar S, Pagano D, McTernan PG. (2009) Epicardial adipose tissue as a source of nuclear factor-kappaB and c-Jun N-terminal kinase mediated inflammation in patients with coronary artery disease. Clin Endocrinol Metab. Jan; 94(1):261-7.

4. McTernan CL, McTernan PG, Harte AL, Levick P, Barnett AH, Kumar S. (2002) Resistin-The link between central obesity and type 2 diabetes. Lancet, 35:46-47.