04.12.2025
Oliver Bonde van Zwol has been awarded a co-financed PhD scholarship from the Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy (DDEA) for the project “Investigation of the Transcriptional Regulation of Leptin Expression in Human Adipocytes”. The project will be carried out in the Functional Genomics & Metabolism Research Unit at the University of Southern Denmark under the supervision of Professor Susanne Mandrup.
Leptin is a hormone produced by adipocytes that plays a central role in regulating appetite, energy balance, and metabolism. Despite its importance for human physiology, surprisingly little is known about the molecular mechanisms controlling leptin gene expression in human adipocytes.
The project aims to identify the regulatory elements and molecular mechanisms that control expression of the human LEP gene. By combining advanced genomic technologies, computational analyses, human adipose tissue biopsies, and functional studies in adipocyte model systems, the project will investigate how enhancer elements, chromatin architecture, and hormonal signals regulate leptin production.
The research builds on recent discoveries from the Mandrup Group, including the identification of novel conserved regulatory elements associated with the leptin locus and the establishment of experimental systems that enable detailed studies of human leptin regulation.
A better understanding of how leptin expression is regulated may provide important insights into adipocyte biology and metabolic health and could ultimately contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies targeting obesity-related diseases.
The scholarship is funded by the Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy (DDEA) with co-financing from the University of Southern Denmark.
