EC-US cooperation in the area of obesity research

19th meeting of the EC-US Task Force on Biotechnology

Research

25 June 2009San Francisco, CA

Tim Hall, Acting EC ChairpersonIsabelle de Froidmont-GörtzEuropean Commission Research Directorate GeneralDirectorate E Biotechnologies, Agriculture, FoodE3 –Food –Health- Well-being

Van S. HubbardNational Institutes of HealthU.S. Department of Health and Human Services

PotentialPotential of new technologiesof new technologies

BioanalyticsNanotechnologiesMicrosensorics

‘-omics’Bioinformatics

NeuroimagingCognitive SciencesBehavioural sciences

BioimagingBio-opticsIntegrative Physiology

Imaging techniques

(MRI, US, PET) –Non-invasive

techniques for visualization of

consumption and digestion

BioinformaticBuilding coherent

models for physiology

Omics(nutrigenomics, metabolomics,

transcriptomics, etc) – Identifying

molecular interaction, metabolic pathways

Micro, nanotechnologiesTargeting delivery of

nutrient to organs, cellsModifying structure

(fibrillar, microemulsions)Encapsulation for slow

release of flavours, fragance or bioactive comp. or protection

against ext .factors suchas heat, acid, etc

Cognitive sciencesNeuro-imaging

Understanding of consumer behaviour

Visualization (brain) for subjective

pleasantness of food, satiety,

hunger, addiction

Symposium on “Neuroimaging and its potential application to the study of food intake”Date and venue: 22 June 2007 - OsloPurpose : to identify the latest developments in neuroimaging and to envisage their potential application to tackle obesity

Symposium at 6th annual meeting of ISBNPA

Main Main outcomesoutcomesStudy of the capabilities of the neuroimagingtechniques to better understand consumer attitudes and preferences towards foodBetter understanding of the brain responses to various stimuliExploration of reward systems and eating behaviourOpportunity for constructive dialogue amongmultidisciplinary investigators from the EU and US to fight against obesityReinforcement of the US-EU collaboration on development of new cutting edge techniques/tools for obesity research

FollowFollow--up Forumsup Forums

NeuroimagingNeuroimaging WorkshopWorkshopBuild common language among obesity researchers, behaviorists, and

psychologists focused on weight management and metabolic health,and experienced functional neuroimaging researchers.

Share data and experiences with functional neuroimaging approaches to study brain involvement in various aspects of obesity, eating behavior, the neurotransmitters and brain structures associated with energy balance, taste and smell, hunger, emotion, and decision-making.

Explore which questions central to obesity research lend themselves to study using functional neuroimaging, and the best techniques and experimental paradigms to use.

Discuss best practices in functional neuroimaging, including technology, experimental design, data analysis, and data interpretation, and explore the strengths and limitations of these approaches for learning about the brain in the obese state.

NeuroimagingNeuroimaging in Obesity in Obesity Research (R01)Research (R01)

Participating Organizations

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesNational Institute on Drug AbuseNational Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

To fund studies using neuroimaging approaches in animals and human subjects to study the many interacting roles of the brain in obesity and its pathogenesis and complications

Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): December 1, 2009

Other InteractionsOther Interactions

Decision Making WorkshopDecision Making WorkshopUnderstanding Different Routes to a Decision: The "Reasoned" vs. the "Reactive" Path of Decision Making

Understanding the Interplay between Physiological Responses to Food and People's Affective/Cognitive Beliefs about Food

Understanding Decision Making in an Interpersonal and Family Systems Context

Understanding the Potential Impact of Environmental Factors and Socio-cultural Factors on Food Decision Making (Food Availability, Advertising, and Time Culture)

Supplement to Annals of Supplement to Annals of Behavioral Medicine: Behavioral Medicine: Anticipate August 09Anticipate August 09

2009 Workshop2009 WorkshopEC-US workshop "Early life programming of obesity“A satellite congress of ECO 2009 http://www.diogenes-eu.org/ECO2009/Programme.htm Date and venue: 5-6 May 2009 in Noordwijkerhout, NL Purpose: to bring together experts from different disciplines in order to better understand the effects of earlynutrition programming on obesity

ProgramProgram AgendaAgendaJulie Mennella - Contribution of genes and experientialfactors to individual differences in taste preferences and eating behaviour among children - Monell ChemicalSenses Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USAClare Adam - Programming the central energy balance regulatory system - University of Aberdeen RowettInstitute of Nutrition & Health, UK.Susanne Ozanne - Programming the appetite regulatorysystem - University of Cambridge, UKBoyd E. Metzger - Gestational Diabetes, A Risk Factor for Obesity and Diabetes in Later Life - NorthwesternUniversity, Chicago, USA Berthold Koletzko - Long-term consequences of earlyfeeding on later obesity risk - University of Munich, DENicolas Stettler - Future perspectives of early nutrition programming to tackle obesity - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA

Selected Research ThoughtsSelected Research ThoughtsBetter understand influence of early nutrition, maternal obesity, diabetes and gestational diabetes on health outcomes of infantProgramming of fetal and infancy taste and feeding Effect of the environment (endocrine disrupters, epigeneticCharacterize rewarding properties of foodCharacterize the satiating effects of foods and flavorsCollaborative efforts to follow-up on perinatalclinical trials

FP7 FP7 ProjectsProjects fundedfunded to to betterbetterunderstandunderstand the the determinantsdeterminants of of

obesityobesity (KBBE)(KBBE)HAB-EAT: Determining factors and critical periods in food habit formation and breaking in early childhood: a multidisciplinary approach

TOY BOX: Multifactorial evidence based approach using behavioural modelsin understanding and promoting fun, healthy food, play and policy for the prevention of obesity in early childhood: Toy Box

NEURO FAST : The Integrated Neurobiology of Food Intake, Addiction and Stress

EATWELL: Interventions to Promote Healthy Eating Habits: Evaluation and Recommendations

OBELIX: Obesogenic Endocrine disrupting chemicals: LInking prenatal eXposure to the development of obesity later in life

Call FP7-KBBE-2010-4 (July 2009) : Neurological pathways regulatinghunger/satiety and gut behaviour

DIABETES under HEALTH

Aetiologies of the different types of diabetes, & their related prevention & treatment

& OBESITY under

HEALTH:

Multidisciplinary approaches including genetics, life style and epidemiology

- Early processes in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes and strategies for early prevention

- Combined forms of diabetes in children (no retained proposal)

- Insulin resistance as a key factor in the development of diabetes and metabolic syndrome

- Pathophysiological mechanisms related to excess fat

-A road-map for diabetes research

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- Nutritional signals and the development of new diabetes/obesity therapeutic agents (two projects)

- Markers and treatment for diabetic neuropathy

- Geno- & phenotypical differentiation of T2D and monogenic subjects

-Use of beta cell imaging in diabetes mellitus.

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- Novel therapeutical approach to pregnancy-induced diabetes

- Novel immunotherapies for type 1 diabetes

- Molecular pathways in food intake at CNS-liver-gut level

3 calls already for Diabetes/3 calls already for Diabetes/ObesityObesity ……PROGRAMME HEALTH

…… resulting in 5 projects on resulting in 5 projects on obesity obesity (out of(out of 14)14)

TOBI: Analyse mechanisms provoking adipokine-mediated crosstalk & inflammatory drift in obese patients http://www.tobi-project.eu/

REPROBESITY:Search For New Therapeutic Agents Against Complicated Obesity By ReprofilingExisting Drugs

GIPIO: Understand the contribution of gastro-intestinal peptides to the onset of obesityhttp://www.uni-leipzig.de/gipio/

EUROCHIP: Study hypothalamus & other brain regions & their interaction with the periphery

DALI:Vitamin D & Lifestyle Intervention for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Prevention

DALI:DALI:Vitamin D & Lifestyle Vitamin D & Lifestyle Intervention for Intervention for GDMGDM PreventionPrevention

DALI (currently completing negotiation) will use an exploratory trial approach to develop the best intervention for preventing gestational DM using:

- Trial data, samples and cohorts to increase understanding of the pathophysiologicalmechanisms leading to enhanced diabetes and obesity risk to mother and baby.

- Expertise of members of the Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group Europe (DPSG) and joined by behavioural researchers and health economists.

DALI will include research on:- Foetal hypoxia- Foetal blood vessel characteristics- Foetal growth, measured in utero- Impact of foetal sex.

Starting date: 1 March 2010 – EC funding: € 3 million

13 partners: 2 AU, 2 SP, 1 UK, 1FN, 1CH, 1BE, 1DN, 1 PO, 1 IT, 1 IR, 1 NL

Other interactionsOther interactionsPresentation to the NIH Nutrition

Coordinating CommitteeDHHS [NIH, CDC, FDA, HRSA, AHRQ, IHS, OS]

USDA and DoD

Laurent Laurent BochereauBochereau –– OverviewOverview::Why Research on food and nutrition ? Why Research on food and nutrition ? New Opportunities in FP7 (2007New Opportunities in FP7 (2007--2013)2013)Preparation of WP2010 Preparation of WP2010 ECEC--US Cooperation in the Area of Obesity US Cooperation in the Area of Obesity ResearchResearch

Wolf Maier Wolf Maier -- Nutrition and physical Nutrition and physical activity: Current EU activities to promote a activity: Current EU activities to promote a healthy lifestylehealthy lifestyle

Resources for U.S. Research Resources for U.S. Research Efforts Related to ObesityEfforts Related to Obesity

Federal Databases for Biomedical and Nutrition Related Research (NIH, USDA, DoD)http://dnrc.nih.gov/highlights/database-page.shtmlNIH Obesity Research Task Forcehttp://www.obesityresearch.nih.gov/Current NIH Support of Obesity related projects - $684 Millionhttp://report.nih.gov/rcdc/categories/

PotentialPotential of new technologiesof new technologies

BioanalyticsNanotechnologiesMicrosensorics

‘-omics’Bioinformatics

NeuroimagingCognitive SciencesBehavioural sciences

BioimagingBio-opticsIntegrative Physiology

Imaging techniques

(MRI, US, PET) –Non-invasive

techniques for visualization of

consumption and digestion

BioinformaticBuilding coherent

models for physiology

Omics(nutrigenomics, metabolomics,

transcriptomics, etc) – Identifying

molecular interaction, metabolic pathways

Micro, nanotechnologiesTargeting delivery of

nutrient to organs, cellsModifying structure

(fibrillar, microemulsions)Encapsulation for slow

release of flavours, fragance or bioactive comp. or protection

against ext .factors suchas heat, acid, etc

Cognitive sciencesNeuro-imaging

Understanding of consumer behaviour

Visualization (brain) for subjective

pleasantness of food, satiety,

hunger, addiction

Research Is Key to Research Is Key to SuccessSuccess

Let us all strive to Let us all strive to make a differencemake a differenceThank you for ListeningThank you for Listening