Christodoulides Group: Deciphering the role of white and brown adipocytes in cardiometabolic diseases — Radcliffe Department of Medicine (ox.ac.uk)

My research focuses on how obesity drives the development of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. Specifically, it investigates the molecular determinants of adipocyte number and distribution—key drivers of susceptibility to obesity-related cardiometabolic diseases—with the goal of translating these insights into novel therapeutic strategies. To achieve this, we employ a multidisciplinary approach, combining human genetic and physiological studies with functional experiments in human adipose cells, Mendelian randomisation analyses, and drug screening.

Previously, we identified Wnt pathway molecules, LRP5 and RSPO3, as novel regulators of human fat distribution. Notably, LRP5 is already a therapeutic target for osteoporosis, highlighting the translational potential of this work. My current focus also includes additional developmental signaling pathways, such as TGF-beta signaling, which genetic studies suggest are critical in modulating fat distribution, type 2 diabetes risk, and coronary disease susceptibility.

I am a BHF Intermediate Clinical Research Fellow and Honorary Consultant in Endocrinology and Diabetes. I completed my PhD at the University of Cambridge before taking up a post as an Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University of Oxford.