Jeffrey Friedman studies the molecular mechanisms that regulate food intake and body weight. Genetic studies in mice led to the identification of leptin, a hormone made by fat tissue, that plays a key role in regulating weight.
Current studies explore the mechanisms by which leptin controls feeding behavior and body weight.
Studies to identify other key regulators are also under way. The assimilation, storage, and utilization of nutrient energy constitute a homeostatic system essential for life. The ability to store sufficient quantities of energy-dense triglycerides in adipose tissue has been vital for vertebrates during evolution, but for humans in Western society, the presence of excess adipose tissue is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, largely due to increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. A precise physiologic system that maintains fuel stores, energy balance, and body weight at an optimum level has evolved. With the recent identification of leptin and its receptors by our laboratory, two of the molecular components of this pathway have been identified.