Medical University of Vienna - Coordinator

Prof. Thomas Stulnig

The Medical University of Vienna (MUW) is one of the largest in Europe with approximately 5,000 staff members, almost two thirds of whom are directly or indirectly involved in research. 37 clinics and institutes have been able to achieve numerous breakthroughs in medical research with state-of-the-art medical equipment. Patients with morbid obesity and obesity-associated complications are treated in the Medical and Surgical Departments of the Medical University of Vienna. Moreover, juvenile obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are a focus in the Paediatric department (Prof. Dr. Kurt Widhalm). More than 100 bariatric operations, i.e. surgical interventions to support weight loss, are annually performed at the Dept. of Surgery (senior physician Assoc.Prof. Dr. Gerhard Prager) with steadily increasing rates giving rise to ample opportunities to collect samples of subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue in clinical studies.

 

www.meduniwien.ac.at

 

biolution GmbH

biolution shows strength where needed

biolution provides professional solutions for your institute or agency fast and reliably. We offer support during the application process of EC funded projects from writing and editorial needs to graphics, web design and public relations. For successfully funded projects, we also offer professional, efficient project management in a cost efficient manner.

We have a specialized team that rapidly recognize your needs at the time of placing your request and can reliably elaborate a solution. When necessary, we involve capable and long standing co-operation partners to assist us in the professional realization of your projects.

 

www.biolution.net

 

University of Cologne

The laboratory of Prof. Brüning is located in the Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne (Department for Mouse Genetics and Metabolism). The Institute for Genetics has a strong history on the use of mouse genetics, particularly on the development of novel techniques for conditional mutagenesis. The Institute for Genetics has established the Center of Mouse Genetics (CMG), which is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for the generation and maintenance of genetically modified mice. The transgenic service facility within the CMG is staffed with experienced personnel trained to perform the most advanced techniques for the manipulation of the mouse genome going far beyond those of standard mutagenesis. In addition, the most advanced technology for metabolic characterization of mice, including complete assessment of energy homeostasis in mice as well as the availability of euglycemic, hyperinsulinemic clamps in mice for complete in vivo profiling of glucose metabolism in mutant mice is provided.

 

www.genetik.uni-koeln.de

University of Ancona

Prof. Saverio Cinti is prinicpal investigator within TOBI and director of the Institute of Normal Human Morphology and Anatomy. His research unit consist of two full professors, three associate professors, two assistant professors, two graduate technicians, one researcher fellow, three post-doc students, one PhD student, one lab technician and one administrative). Under the supervision of Prof Cinti the group has been working on basic research of mammalian adipose tissue biology, central and peripheral mechanisms of energy balance and the pathogenesis of obesity and associated diseases. During the last 30 years, the experimental approach is mainly morphological and the laboratories where the present project will be carried out are equipped with instruments and expertise to perform: light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, light and ultrustructural histochemistry, light immunohistochemistry on paraffin-embedded section and cryosections, confocal laser scanning microscopy, immunogold staining, in situ hybridization, morphometric analyses, computerized image analysis, western blotting and northern blotting.

 

www.univpm.it

 

Genfit

Listed on Alternext by Euronext™ Paris (ALGFT - FR0004163111), Genfit is an innovative biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Lille, France with its US subsidiary in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Genfit is at the forefront of research and development of drugs focusing on early diagnosis and preventive treatment of cardiometabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.

 

The company's world renowned scientific expertise, notably in Nuclear Receptors, has turned Genfit into a European biotechnology leader

 

Genfit's balanced business model of internally funded programs and partner supported programs allows the company to manage the risks associated with such programs and build value for its shareholders. Through its efforts, Genfit has created a rich and diversified pipeline of drug candidates in all stages of discovery and development on its own and in collaboration with its pharmaceutical partners.

The company's world renowned scientific expertise, notably in Nuclear Receptors, has turned Genfit into a European biotechnology leader. Genfit’s efforts have yielded a strong and broad intellectual property portfolio and a solid track record of academic and industrial partnerships.

 

www.genfit.com

 

pharm-analyt

This is one of our promising instruments - LTQ Orbitrap XL

pharm-analyt is a private institute focusing on analytics and pharmacokinetics. So far they developed methods for the determination of about 500 different drugs, metabolites or endogenous substances in plasma, urine and tissues of humans and animals. Some of these methods were published in about 70 publications in peer reviewed journals. pharm-analyt is especially focused on anti-inflammatory substances (e.g. asthma, with determination limits lower than 1 pg/mL plasma) or peptides (MW 1000 - 5000) with determination limits lower than 1 ng/mL plasma. Their instruments (API5000s, API4000s and LTQ Orbitrap XL) are the most sensitive systems in the world. pharm-analyt consists of 18 people, half of them chemists, physicists or pharmacists. Their contribution to TOBI is the very sensitive analytics of different prostaglandines, prostacyclines, resolvines, lipoxines, and leukotrienes in biological material.

 

Dr. Daniel Mascher, Head of Analytical Department

pharm-analyt’s services cover quantitative analysis of drugs in various biological matrices, discovery and identification of metabolites and by-products and a wide range of specific applications such as protein binding, enantioselective separation, or stability studies. Most of the analytical methods they use were developed in-house. Sponsors receive full service and individual attention throughout the entire process. All work is carried out in accordance with OECD / European Commission GLP guidelines and inspected by their Quality Assurance department. Acquired and generated data are stored in an industry-standard, fully certified and validated electronic archive that meets European Commission and FDA (21 CFR Part 11) requirements.

 

www.pharm-analyt.at

 

University of Durham

The University of Durham consistently ranks amongst the top universities in the world with over 3,000 staff. The University of Durham is organised into three academic faculties with 25 departments of schools.

 

www.durham.ac.uk

 

Institut Pasteur de Lille

The Institute Pasteur de Lille, located in the North of France, is a centenary research institute founded in 1894 by Louis Pasteur himself.

The laboratories directed by Bart Staels are based at the Institut Pasteur de Lille and at the University of Lille and Hospital campus and includes approximately 80 scientists, including PhD students, technicians, post-doctoral scientists and six other academic staff. The laboratory is fully equipped for functional genomics studies and has platforms for animal work (pheno- and genotyping), cell culture work (including primary cell culture and facility for virus work), RNA analysis (DNA-microarray Affymetrix and Q-PCR) and histology (laser capture microdissection).

 

Within the TOBI project, this group will focus on the role of specific transcription factors, the Liver X Receptors (LXR), in the functions of adipose tissue macrophages (ATM) as well as in the modulation of the cross-talk between ATM and adipocytes. Thanks to a strong collaboration with the obesity surgery department of the Lille Hospital, headed by Prof. F. Pattou, they have access to human adipose tissue samples and we will able to contribute to the TOBI Biobank.

 

www.pasteur-lille.fr

 

University of Edinburgh

Queen's Medical Research Institute

The University of Edinburgh is one of Europe's leading research universities, with a long and distinguished tradition of medical research. This has been reinforced by major investment in recent years, including in a brand new Queen's Medical Research Institute, where the team contributing to the TOBI Consortium is based.

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, where there are high rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease and, consequently, research in these areas is a high priority. The TOBI team is based in the Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences (www.cvs.med.ed.ac.uk) within an Endocrinology Unit comprising more than 50 full time research staff. Their particular expertise is in hormones called glucocorticoids, which are stress hormones that are used widely as treatments for inflammatory conditions such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. However, excess levels of these steroid hormones can promote both obesity and cardiovascular disease.

 

Blood vessel and fat tissue

In the TOBI project, the Edinburgh group is focussing on the role of fat tissue which surrounds blood vessels. Besides others, they have shown that this fat tissue accumulates during obesity, and influences the way the blood vessels behave. This may be crucial in determining the damaging effects of obesity on blood vessels, which ultimately causes common disease such as heart attack and stroke.

The Edinburgh group is very active in research in humans, and will also be contributing to the TOBI Biobank, which will allow collaborative research between members of the TOBI Consortium. Crucially, this will ensure that very valuable material obtained from our patients and other volunteers is used as efficiently as possible to benefit human health. Enquiries about the Edinburgh contribution to the TOBI Project should be addressed to .

 

www.ed.ac.uk

 

University of Graz

Prof. Rudolf Zechner

For the last decade Rudolf Zechner’s laboratory at the Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Austria, has focused on the physiological function of metabolic lipases. Mice producing lipases, i.e. enzymes involved in the metabolism of lipids, either not at all (knock-out animals) or more than usual (overexpressors) were created. Also various mouse models expressing a certain lipase only in a single tissue have been generated and studied. Particular attention has been paid to the discovery of a novel triacylglycerol lipase, named adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) by Zechner’s team (Zimmermann R, Strauss JG, at al. Science, 306: 1383-1386; Haemmerle G et al. Science, 312(5774):734-737, 2006).

 

The infrastructure in the laboratory includes tissue culture facilities, a new SPF (specific pathogen free) animal facility, a large isotope lab, and a mass spectrometry facility for the comprehensive analysis of lipids and proteins. Methods for the analysis of lipoproteins, proteins, and nucleic acids are established. Equipment and methodologies are available for gene cloning, DNA sequencing, heterologous expression of genes utilizing various vector systems (including baculo- and adenoviral systems), production of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, as well as gene silencing techniques.

 

www.uni-graz.at