The European Commission HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) – Hop-on Facility grant was awarded to the group led by Prof. Grzegorz Sumara from the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, for the implementation of the project titled “Fighting childhood obesity to stay healthy all over the life – Hop on” (Acronym: “Obelisk-Hop on”).

Obesity in adolescence can have long-term negative effects, contributing to severe obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, premature death, and disability. The aim of the “Obelisk-Hop on” initiative is to supplement the existing scientific expertise of the “Obelisk” consortium by strengthening work packages aimed at understanding the molecular and genetic foundations of childhood obesity and identifying new therapeutic targets to treat it. This project will significantly contribute to achieving the main goal of the “Obelisk” project, which is to propose new solutions for the obesity pandemic among European youth by discovering new biological mechanisms responsible for childhood obesity. Professor Sumara's group will complement the consortium's expertise in genomics, epigenetics, transcriptomics, and GPCR signaling with their own experience in intracellular signaling and lipid absorption. Within the framework of the "Obelisk-Hop on," we will focus on intestinal lipid absorption and its impact on weight gain and obesity development. Specifically, we aim to define the impact of early exposure to excess fats on intestinal absorption capacity in adulthood and its influence on obesity susceptibility in preclinical models. We will also test the impact of key signaling pathways that define lipid absorption and their intracellular distribution in the intestines of young individuals and their significance for later intestinal functions.

Our research, combined with other works within the "Obelisk" project funded by the EU, will contribute to a better understanding of the causes of the increase in obesity among children and adolescents and should allow for the development of new methods for its prevention and treatment.