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Obesity, diabetes researcher receives ADA Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Lora K. Heisler, PhD, professor and chair of human nutrition and head of the obesity and food choice division of the Rowett Institute at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, is recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award by the American Diabetes Association during its 78th Scientific Sessions.
Given annually, the award recognizes independent thinking and originality in diabetes research. Heisler is one of just three women to receive this award since it was established 62 years ago.
Heisler, also an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, has made great advancements in treatment potential by linking neurobiology and diabetes. More specifically, her work has led to the development of new obesity drugs that target serotonin receptors.
Endocrine Today spoke with Heisler about the beginnings of her career, her most exciting discoveries and advice to students hoping to enter the field of diabetes and obesity research today.
What was the defining moment that led you to your field?
Heisler: Early in my career, I considered what I thought might be the future significant challenges to human health. This prompted me to join the emerging obesity field and to study the health complications associated with obesity. I began this research during my PhD and am still fascinated by the regulation of appetite and body weight and how this impacts our health. The overall objective of my laboratory’s research is to identify new ways to prevent and treat obesity and type 2 diabetes.
What are some of the most exciting advances that you have been a part of?
Heisler: What I knew from my PhD research and decades of previously published reports is that the brain chemical serotonin can be harnessed to reduce food intake and improve obesity, but what wasn’t clear is how this effect is achieved. This became the focus of my postdoctoral research. Along with my supervisor, Joel Elmquist, DVM, PhD, we discovered that the obesity medication d-fenfluramine decreases food intake by acting at a certain subset of neurons in the brain that make pro-opiomelanocortin. This thereby revealed a therapeutic target for future obesity medications. In subsequent junior faculty award research funded by the American Diabetes Association and NIH, I discovered that obesity medications acting at these serotonin pathways directly improve type 2 diabetes in preclinical models. What I find particularly exciting is that these observations have now been reproduced in patients with type 2 diabetes. Going forward, I hope this discovery will ultimately provide a new treatment option for people suffering from type 2 diabetes.
What do you think will have the greatest influence on diabetes research in the next 10 years?
Heisler: Research on diet. There is a lot more to learn about the role of diet in glycemic control. What we eat, when we eat, how much we eat: It is possible that multiple dietary factors may be tapped into to improve type 2 diabetes.
What advice would you offer to a student going into the field today?
Heisler: My advice would be to do what you love. If you love what you do, then it rarely feels like work. The trick is to figure out what your passion is. A great way to do this is to try out different things when you are a student. Personally, I started with work experience in hospitals and then in laboratories while I was an undergraduate. Volunteer or paid work will give you a flavor of what your job would be like. – by Melissa J. Webb