Our research is focused on the understanding of hormonal control of adipose tissue macrophage (ATM) function. ATMs play key roles in diabetes development: when they adopt an inflammatory activation state, they inhibit insulin signaling, cause systemic insulin resistance, exacerbate autoimmunity and pancreatic beta cell destruction. On the contrary, when ATMs undergo a so-called alternative activation, they support metabolic performance. Understanding the hormonal signals which are decisive for these activation states is thus key for treating diabetes. The current projects in our laboratory study the role of pancreatic hormones on ATM function.
