Toward Understanding Human Brown Adipose Tissues’ Roles in Metabolic Physiology: Present Knowledge and Future Possibilities

Event Details

Purpose

This workshop is sponsored by NIDDK’s intramural and extramural programs. It builds on NIDDK-sponsored workshops that were held in 2009 and 2014 to continue to explore the many emerging roles of brown and beige fat in human metabolic health. The workshop is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Barbara Cannon (1946–2026) whose body of work underlies the field of brown adipose tissue (BAT) biology.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) comprises depots of thermogenic fat that respond to cold stress by generating heat through a variety of pathways, most notably UCP1. BAT shares many characteristics with beige adipose tissue, which derives from and resides within white adipose under certain physiological conditions. These tissues are highly plastic and respond to internal hormonal and metabolic signals, as well as environmental stresses. Brown and beige fat have many other functions besides heat generation. Like other adipose tissues, thermogenic fat secretes a variety of signaling molecules (adipokines) and vesicles that carry information to other organs. It takes up and processes substrates released by other tissues and contributes to the health of other organs. Its regulation and contributions to whole-body metabolic health and energy balance are currently under study.

This workshop will explore contemporary research focused on characterizing the thermogenic adipose depots, including adipogenesis, activation, regulation, metabolism, and function. Talks also will address BAT’s many modes of receiving and transmitting information to other tissues. Speakers will explore its emerging central role in metabolic health and disease and opportunities for therapeutic targeting.

Organizing Committee

Aaron Cypess, M.D., Ph.D., M.M.Sc. (NIDDK Intramural)
Kong Chen, Ph.D., MSCI (NIDDK Intramural)
Maren Laughlin, Ph.D. (NIDDK Extramural)
Dhananjay (Jay) Gupta, Ph. D., M.S. (NIDDK Extramural)
Shingo Kajimura, Ph.D., Sc.D. (Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)
Yu-Hua Tseng, Ph.D. (Harvard Medical School, Joslin Diabetes Research Center)
Edward Melanson, Ph.D., FACSM (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus)

Registration Deadline

March 28, 2027

Important Visitor Information

Due to recent changes to the campus access policy, participants who do not have U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) status will need to complete the VisitNIH pre-registration process at least 30 days but no more than 60 days before the start of the event. To avoid missing this deadline, please register for the workshop using the link above as soon as possible and indicate your status. If VisitNIH pre-registration is required, a staff member will reach out to help you through the process.

Agenda

Day 1: Monday, April 5, 2027

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.

Registration

8:30 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.

Welcome
William Cefalu, M.D., National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

8:40 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Tribute to Dr. Barbara Cannon
Jan Nedergaard, Ph.D., D.Sc., The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Sweden

9:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.

Keynote Address
C. Ronald Kahn, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Joslin Diabetes Research Center

9:20 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Scientific Session 1: Human Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) and Health
Moderator: Ricardo Samms, Ph.D., Eli Lilly and Company

9:20 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.

Human UCP1⁺ Adipocytes Link Adipose Architecture and Energy Expenditure
Kirsty Spalding, Ph.D., Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

9:40 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

BCAA Catabolism in BAT and Its Role in Metabolic Health
Shingo Kajimura, Ph.D., Sc.D., Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

10:00 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.

Peptide Hormones, β3-AR Agonists, and Cold Exposure as Approaches to Activate Human BAT and Treat Metabolic Disease
Aaron Cypess, M.D., Ph.D., M.M.Sc., NIDDK

10:20 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.

Similarities and Differences in Cold-Induced BAT Between Healthy Young Men (With and Without Obesity) and Women
Kong Chen, Ph.D., MSCI, NIDDK

10:40 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Brown Fat Activity in Women Is Dependent on Ovarian Function
Edward Melanson, Ph.D., FACSM, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Panel Discussion

11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Break

11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Scientific Session 2: Functional Brown Adipose Imaging in Humans: Technological Challenges and Opportunities
Moderator: Edward Melanson, Ph.D., FACSM, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Imaging Human BAT—From a Tool to Understanding the Function
Kirsi Virtanen, Ph.D., Human BAT Metabolism Research Group, University of Turku, Finland

11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Xenon-Enhanced MRI and CT for Multimodal Structural and Functional Imaging of Human BAT
Tamara Branca, Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.

A Translational Perspective on the Role of BAT Thermogenesis in Health and Disease
André Carpentier, M.D., University of Sherbrooke, Canada

12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Adrenergic Control of Human Brown Adipocyte Operates Through Isoform Switching
Søren Nielsen, Ph.D., M.Sc., University of Copenhagen, Denmark

12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Panel Discussion

12:45 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.

Working Lunch With Lightning Talks From Trainees Selected From Scientific Abstracts

1:50 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.

Scientific Session 3: BATokines, Gut Microbiome, Interorgan Communication Regulating Metabolism
Shingo Kajimura, Ph.D., Sc.D., Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

1:50 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.

Leveraging Large Human Cohorts to Uncover Novel Regulators of Brown Fat
Paul Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., Weslie R. and William H. Janeway Laboratory of Molecular Metabolism, The Rockefeller University

2:10 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

TBD
Ricardo Samms, Ph.D., Eli Lilly and Company

2:30 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.

Gut Microbiota–Mediated Interorgan Communication Drives Beige Adipocyte Induction During Dietary Protein Restriction
Kenya Honda, M.D., Ph.D., Keio University Human Biology Microbiome Quantum Research Center, Japan

2:50 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.

Gut Microbiota–Adipose Communication in the Control of Thermogenic Adipogenesis
Yuwei Jiang, Ph.D., University of Illinois Chicago

3:10 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.

Panel Discussion

3:20 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Break

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Scientific Session 4: Genetics (GWAS), Epigenetics, and Metabolomics of Adipocytes in Health and Metabolic Disorders
Moderator: Aaron Cypess, M.D., Ph.D., M.M.Sc., NIDDK

3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.

Adipose Tissue at Single-Cell Resolution: Where Do We Stand?
Evan Rosen, M.D., Ph.D., Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

3:50 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.

Deciphering Human Cervical Adipose Tissue at Single-Cell and Spatial Resolution
Yu-Hua Tseng, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, Joslin Diabetes Research Center

4:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Therapeutic Oligonucleotides Targeting Adipose Thermogenesis
Michael Czech, Ph.D., Chan Medical School, University of Massachusetts

4:30 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.

TBD
Ruth Loos, Ph.D., Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

4:50 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Panel Discussion

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Poster Session and Networking

6:00 p.m.

Adjournment, Day 1

Day 2: Tuesday, April 6, 2027

8:30 a.m. – 8:50 a.m.

Keynote Address: Beyond Thermogenesis: Brown Adipose Tissue as a Metabolic Signaling Organ
Philipp Scherer, Ph.D., Touchstone Diabetes Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

8:50 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Q&A

9:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.

Scientific Session 5: Mechanisms of Thermogenesis
Moderator: Yu-Hua Tseng, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, Joslin Diabetes Research Center

9:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.

TBD
Bruce Spiegelman, Ph.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

9:20 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.

Beyond Singular Effectors: The Futile Creatine Cycle From Molecular Mechanism to Integrated Adipocyte Thermogenesis
Lawrence Kazak, Ph.D., Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Canada

9:40 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Nutrient Sensing and the Control of Adipocyte Energy Expenditure
David Guertin, Ph.D., Chan Medical School, University of Massachusetts

10:00 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.

Beyond UCP1: Branched-Chain Fatty Acid Metabolism in Adipose Thermogenesis
Irfan Lodhi, Ph.D., Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis

10:20 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.

Alternative, Non-adrenergic Activation of the Human Thermogenic Adipocytes
Alexander Pfeifer, Ph.D., Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Bonn, Germany

10:40 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.

Panel Discussion

10:50 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Break

11:00 a.m. – 12:50 p.m.

Scientific Session 6: Non-adipocyte Cells Within Adipose Tissue; Impacts on Metabolism
Moderator: Michael Czech, Ph.D., Chan Medical School, University of Massachusetts

11:00 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.

Sympathetic Regulation of BAT and Systemic Metabolism
Lori Zeltser, Ph.D., Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

11:20 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.

Adapting to Metabolic Stress
Allen Saltiel, Ph.D., Institute for Diabetes and Metabolic Health, University of California, San Diego

11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Building and Maintaining the Thermogenic Niche: Cellular Networks That Sustain Brown Fat
Farnaz Shamsi, Ph.D., NYU Grossman School of Medicine

12:00 p.m. – 12:20 p.m.

Immunometabolic Checkpoints Within the Adipose Tissue Niche
Prashant Rajbhandari, Ph.D., Diabetes Obesity Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

12:20 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.

Neuronal–Immune Crosstalk Regulates Thermogenesis and Metabolic Aging
Annabel Wong, Ph.D., Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute at City of Hope

12:40 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.

Panel Discussion

12:50 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Lunch

1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Open Floor Discussion of Research Gaps and Opportunities
Aaron Cypess, M.D., Ph.D., M.M.Sc., NIDD
Yu-Hua Tseng, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, Joslin Diabetes Research Center Shingo Kajimura, Ph.D., Sc.D., Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Kong Chen, Ph.D., MSCI NIDDK Ricardo Samms, Ph.D., Eli Lilly and Company
Michael Czech, Ph.D., Chan Medical School, University of Massachusetts
Edward Melanson, Ph.D., FACSM, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Closing Remark and Thanks
Corinne Silva, Ph.D., NIDDK
NIH-NIDDK/DEM Leadership

3:00 p.m.

Adjournment, Day 2

Travel

Hotel Accommodations

Hyatt Regency Bethesda Hotel
One Bethesda Metro Center
7400 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
Telephone: (301) 657-1234 or (888) 421-1442
Reserve a Room

Government Room Rate

A limited block of sleeping rooms for meeting participants has been reserved at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda Hotel. The rate is the prevailing government rate of $276 per night for single occupancy, plus tax (13%). The room block will be in effect at the Government rate only until Wednesday, March 10, 2027, or until full, whichever comes first. Any room reservations received after this date will be accepted on a space- and rate-availability basis. Please be certain that the hotel provides you with a confirmation number for your reservation.

Reservation Dates

Book your arrival date as Sunday, April 4, 2027, and departure as Tuesday, April 6, 2027. If you require alternate dates, please contact John Hare of The Scientific Consulting Group, Inc. (SCG).

Check-in

When making a reservation, please provide your room and bedding preferences. The hotel will assign specific room types at check-in, based on availability. Please be advised that requests are not guaranteed. Check-in time is 3:00 p.m., and check-out time is 12:00 p.m.

Cancellations

If you need to cancel your reservation, please do so 48 hours prior to your arrival date, or you will be charged a no-show fee for 1 night on your credit card.

Directions to NIH from the Hyatt Regency Bethesda Hotel

The hotel is conveniently located directly above the Bethesda Metro Station (Red Line). Guests can take the Metro one stop to the Medical Center Station, which is adjacent to the NIH Gateway Center and provides direct access to the NIH campus.

NIH Visitor Information

Information on visiting the NIH, campus maps, shuttle schedules, driving directions, security, and more can be found on the NIH Visitor Information page.

Abstracts

Submission Deadline

February 5, 2027

Submitting Abstracts

Participants in the Toward Understanding Human Brown Adipose Tissues’ Roles in Metabolic Physiology: Present Knowledge and Future Possibilities are encouraged to submit abstracts of their related research activities. In addition to an opportunity to present their research in a poster session, conference attendees will find additional career development and networking opportunities with other researchers.

All abstracts must be submitted via email to John Hare of The Scientific Consulting Group, Inc. with “Human BAT Abstract” in the subject line. Abstract submissions should be no longer than 250 words (not including name and affiliation).

Download the abstract template. (DOCX, <1 MB)

Formatting Requirements

1. The abstract should be an MS Word document typed single-spaced using Times New Roman font. Everything but the title should be in normal, 12-point font.
1. The abstract’s title should be Bold, 16-Point, Title Case font and should clearly represent the nature of the investigation.
2. On the line after the title, list the author’s first and last names, degree, affiliation, city, state, and country.
3. Separate multiple authors with a semicolon, and underline the primary author’s name (one primary author per abstract).
4. Use one blank line between the title and the body of the abstract and between paragraphs.
5. The abstract file name should follow this format: primary author’s LastName_FirstWordOfTitle (e.g., Zucker_Effects).
2. Please ensure that your abstract is the correct length and use 1-inch margins.
3. Use of standard abbreviations is desirable (e.g., RBC), as well as standard symbols for units of measure (e.g., kg, g, mg, mL, L, and %). Place a special or unusual abbreviation in parentheses after the full word the first time that it appears. Use numerals to indicate numbers except to begin sentences. Do not use subtitles (e.g., Methods, Results).
4. Simple tables or graphs may be included; however, they must fit within the designated abstract space of one page.

Organize the body of the abstract as follows:

1. Statement of the purpose of the study/program/project
2. Statement of the methods used
3. Summary of the results presented in sufficient detail to support the conclusion
4. Statement of the conclusions reached

Poster Presentations

Poster presentations will be displayed on 4-foot-high by 6-foot-wide poster boards. Pushpins and Velcro will be provided onsite.

All presenters must register in advance for the conference.

Notification

All submitters will be notified of acceptance by March 5, 2027.