Course Identification

This course is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of metabolic regulation in humans and the mechanisms underlying its dysregulation in various physiological and pathological conditions. The course will cover fundamental concepts through key questions related to metabolic regulation, and dysregulation and their contribution to the development of metabolic disorders, such as obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Additionally, the course will examine the role of metabolism in aging, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. 

1. How did metabolism evolve? (The origin of metabolism in the deep hydrothermal vents)
2. How to assess cell metabolism? (metabolomics, pulse-chase, respirometry)
3. Why is glycolysis so essential to red blood cells and neurons? (Hemolytic anemia)
4. Why do cancers rely so much on fermentation? (Warburg effect)
5. Is the Krebs cycle really a cycle? (anaplerosis and cataplerosis in health and disease)
6. How Does Iron Balance the Scales of Health and Disease?                                              
7. Circadian clocks and metabolism; who controls whom?   
8. Why is metabolism correlated with body mass? (BMR, Kleiber’s Law)
9. Is exercise really healthy? (AMPK, Creatine Phosphate, PGC-1 alpha)
10. Does metabolism control inflammation, or vice versa? (M1, M2 macrophages, Metabolism of dendritic cells and T lymphocytes)
11. Is obesity unhealthy? (subcutaneous and visceral fat, inflammation of white adipose tissue)  
12. Why is obesity associated with diabetes? (Insulin resistance, Type-2-Diabetes, OGTT, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp)
13. What’s the cause of the obesity epidemics and how can it be reduced? (ultraprocessed food, leptin resistance, GLP-1 and its analogues)
14. Does metabolism play a role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases?

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Understand the principles of metabolic regulation in mammals.
2. Analyze the molecular mechanisms involved in metabolic control.
3. Evaluate the role of key hormonal signaling in metabolic regulation.
4. Identify the causes and consequences of metabolic dysregulation.
5. Discuss the relationship between metabolic dysregulation and human diseases.
6. Critically analyze current research and advancements in the field.
7. Apply acquired knowledge to propose potential therapeutic interventions for metabolic disorders.