It’s been a bountiful fall for research funding for the Wisconsin Surgical Laboratory in Metabolism (WiSLiM) run by Dave Harris, MD, an Assistant Professor in the Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery. Over the last three months, Harris has received grants from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), the UW Center for Biomedical Swine Research & Innovation (CBSRI), and the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC).
“We are excited to embark upon multiple areas of investigation that could have clear impact on patients. 2025 is going to be fun!” said Harris.
The WiSLiM lab broadly focuses on better understanding the mechanisms of the interactions between bariatric surgery, metabolism, and aging. To advance this research, Harris and his team will be engaging in the following projects over the next 1-2 years:
- While bariatric surgery is the most impactful therapy for obesity, weight loss plateau following bariatric surgery is common, leaving many patients with remaining obesity. In previous studies with mice, Harris found that, counterintuitively, a diet that restricts protein intake can improve weight loss and glucose control, which is important to reduce the many risks associated with Type 2 diabetes. Mice, however, are quite different than humans, so Harris wants to evaluate the use of this type of diet in an animal model that better approximates humans. With a one-year, $30,000 pilot award from the CBSRI, Harris will be adapting his mice study protocol for use in a swine (pig) model, which is more human-like based on both body size and biology.
- With pilot award funding from WARF, Harris is collaborating with Snehal Chaudhari in the Department of Biochemistry to develop and test novel therapies for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD is a debilitating life-long disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. There is no cure for IBD, and it is a disease that is occurring more commonly in US patients. New treatments are desperately needed, and Harris and Chaudhari will be looking into a potential therapeutic target that could help restore gut health.
- Obesity and Type 2 diabetes increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to its beneficial impact on obesity and metabolic health, bariatric surgery has also been shown to positively impact brain health, suggesting it may have a protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease. However, many questions remain about the relationship between bariatric surgery and Alzheimer’s disease. Harris recently received a two-year, $80,000 Research Education Component Scholar award from the Wisconsin ADRC to answer some of these questions. Using a mouse model, his team will be examining how sleeve gastrectomy, a specific type of bariatric surgery, affects Alzheimer’s disease development and progression at both a physiological and molecular level.
“All three of these studies will provide critical preliminary data that will support our future research efforts. My overarching goals are to develop and evaluate novel, translatable therapies to reduce the burden of metabolic diseases to improve organ function and healthspan. With the generous support of the ADRC, CBSRI, WARF, and our collaborators, we’ll be steps closer to accomplishing these goals,” said Harris.