Liver disease is a global health challenge, affecting millions each year. The liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate; however, chronic damage arising from obesity, alcohol, or metabolic dysfunction can lead to irreversible failure. At the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Professor David Hay’s lab is developing innovative ways to study liver function and disease using a lab-grown mini-organ. In this blog, we highlight how Dr. Hay’s lab is redefining liver disease research through 3D models that reveal how hormones influence metabolic health.
Continue reading “Insights from 3D Liver Models: Rethinking Fatty Liver Disease with Hormone Correction”metabolic detection assays
Alzheimer Disease and Metabolic Dysfunction: A Critical Intersection in Brain Health
This guest blog post is written by Alden Little, a Marketing Intern at Promega.
Alzheimer disease (AD) is one of the most devastating neurodegenerative disorders, affecting millions worldwide. While much attention has been given to amyloid plaques and tau tangles, emerging research suggests that metabolic dysfunction in the brain plays a crucial role in the disease’s progression. A recent study published in Acta Neuropathologica by Schröder et al. sheds new light on how astrocytes—the brain’s metabolic support cells—are affected in AD, and how their dysfunction impacts neurons.
Infographic: Assays for Measuring Insulin Activity
We rely on insulin supplied by our pancreas at the right dose and at the right time to control our blood glucose levels and energy storage. Insulin works by regulating the energy usage of various cell types in the body. When this process goes awry, it can cause diabetes.
There are two types of diabetes, defined by how insulin is dysregulated. In Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), the pancreas produces too little insulin. Patients need to give themselves insulin in order to respond to glucose in the diet. In Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), patients do not respond well to the insulin produced in their body. Therefore, they need to give themselves more to avoid hyperglycemia (high blood glucose).
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