Rachel Fisher: Adipose tissue inflammation

Obesity is part of the so called metabolic syndrome, which also includes abnormal fat levels in the blood, raised blood sugar and high blood pressure. Fat tissue is an active organ and disturbed metabolism in fat tissue, for example as a result of inflammation there, is thought to lead to insulin resistance (one of the causes of type 2 diabetes) and the development of heart disease. The main aim of Rachel Fisher’s research is to understand why fat tissue becomes inflamed and the mechanisms involved.