The Institute of Metabolic Science-Metabolic Research Laboratories (IMS-MRL) and its embedded Medical Research Council (MRC) Metabolic Diseases Unit investigate the mechanisms through which metabolic health is maintained and how this is disturbed in disease. We seek to use that knowledge to aid better treatment and prevention of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and related endocrine and metabolic diseases.
IMS-MRL research groups encompass skills in genetics, cell biology, cell signalling, neuroendocrinology, bioenergetics, human and animal physiology, experimental medicine and clinical trials.
Latest news
19 February 2025
We are delighted to have been part of this groundbreaking Diabetes UK-funded study into safety & benefits of a reduced calorie diet in late pregnancy in women with gestational diabetes. The Dietary Intervention in Gestational Diabetes (DiGest) trial involved researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Leicester...
Mapping the Human Hypothalamus: A Breakthrough in Understanding Metabolic Health
5 February 2025
Researchers at the IMS-MRL and MRC MDU in collaboration with a team at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne, have created the most detailed map to date of the human hypothalamus, a crucial brain region that regulates body weight, appetite, sleep, and stress. Published in Nature , this comprehensive...
Brown adipose tissue is associated with reduced weight loss and risk of cancer cachexia
3 February 2025
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a special type of body fat that burns calories to generate heat and it has been studied for its potential to fight metabolic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Recent research suggests it may also play a role in conditions involving extreme weight and muscle loss (e.g. cancer cachexia...
