MED Research Seminar | Prof. Zhinan YIN:IL-27:Novel Therapeutic Target for Obesity
Schedule
Topic:
IL-27: a novel therapeutic target for obesity
Speaker:
Prof. Zhinan Yin, Jinan University, Guangzhou
Host:
Prof. Richard Ye, Associate Dean, School of Medicine, CUHK-Shenzhen
Date:
March 17, 2022
Time:
13:30-14:50 (Beijing Time)
Language:
English
Venue:
Zoom ID:943 5035 3921 (Passcode: 757918)
Abstract
Thermogenesis in brown and beige adipose tissue has important roles in maintaining body temperature and countering the development of metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Although much is known about commitment and activation of brown and beige adipose tissue, its multiple and abundant immunological factors have not been well characterized. Our recent studies define a critical role of IL-27–IL-27Rα signalling in improving thermogenesis, protecting against diet-induced obesity and ameliorating insulin resistance.
Mechanistic studies demonstrate that IL-27 directly targets adipocytes, activating p38 MAPK–PGC-1α signalling and stimulating the production of UCP1, a key protein in thermogenesis. Notably, therapeutic administration of IL-27 ameliorated metabolic morbidities in well-established mouse models of obesity. Consistently, individuals with obesity show significantly decreased levels of serum IL-27, which can be restored after bariatric surgery. Collectively, these findings show that IL-27 has an important role in orchestrating metabolic programs, and is a highly promising target for anti-obesity immunotherapy.
Speaker Profile
Dean of Biomedical Translational Research Institute, Jinan University
Former Dean of College of Life Sciences, Nankai University
Professor Zhinan Yin graduated from Hubei Medical University in 1984 and obtained his Master's degree in Immunology from Shanghai Second Medical University in 1988. In 1994 to 1997, he studied for his PhD at the Free University of Berlin, where he worked on the mechanisms of T-cell differentiation and function and their role in autoimmune arthritis, and received the "Distinguished Dissertation Award" for his PhD thesis. He joined the Yale School of Medicine in 1997 as a postdoctoral fellow in Internal Medicine (Rheumatology), where he became Associate Research Scientist in 1999, Assistant Professor in 2001 and Associate Professor in 2006. He is also the recipient of the 2006 Yale Research Achievement Award in Internal Medicine. His research was supported by a number of research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Prof. Yin was appointed Dean of the College of Life Sciences at Nankai University in 2007. He served as the Chief Scientist for the Major Scientific Research Programme of the Ministry of Science and Technology in the same year. In 2013, he was recruited to Jinan University , established the Biomedical Translational Research Institute and served as the Dean. In 2019, he was appointed as the Academic Director of Zhuhai People's Hospital. His main research interests include the differentiation and development of γδ T cells and their role in tumour immunity, hepatitis and regulation of intestinal microbiota, as well as the therapeutic potential of γδ T cells in treating tumours and hepatitis with tuberculosis. Professor Yin's research has been published in top international journals such as Nature, Nature Immunology, JEM, JCI, CMI and Hepatology. To date, he has published more than 140 papers, including 65 as first author, corresponding or co-corresponding author. He has been listed as a highly cited author by Elsevier for 7 consecutive years from 2014 to 2020. Other positions held by Professor Yin include Chairman of the Guangdong Society for Immunology, Chairman of the Chinese Society for Immune Cell Biology, CSCB, and Executive Council of the Chinese Society for Immunology.