Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and several life-threating complications of T2D share as a major cause insulin resistance, whose etiology is not fully understood, limiting thus the ability to develop highly effective and safe insulin sensitizing medications. Palmitic Acid Hydroxy Stearic Acids (PAHSAs), endogenous lipids with potent insulin sensitizing effects in obese T2D mice, are highly associated with insulin-sensitivity in humans and markedly down-regulated in the adipose tissue of insulin resistant individuals.

Combining cutting-edge, unbiased and synergetic approaches, we are studying the mechanisms responsible for the down-regulation of PAHSAs in insulin resistant individuals. Our aim is to identify the lipogenic program responsible for the synthesis and degradation of PAHSAs in mammalian cells, providing novel therapeutic avenues to prevent or treat insulin resistance and T2D.