BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:“Human Obesity: Science vs Stigma”\, - Prof. Stephen O’Rahil ly\, Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Medicine\, Institute of Metabo lic Science and Pembroke College DTSTART:20080602T184500Z DTEND:20080602T200000Z UID:TALK11140@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:Miss Clare Buckley DESCRIPTION:Obesity is widely recognized to be a serious medical problem r esulting in myriad distressing illnesses and shortening life expectancy. Uniquely\, however\, its sufferers are frequently stigmatized\, derided an d subject to social and economic discrimination. There is a widespread ta cit assumption shared not only by the general public but also the medical profession that obesity is largely a moral failing\, albeit one with biome dical consequences. This has interesting parallels with the public percep tion of causation of other illnesses in past times\, eg epilepsy as a resu lt of demonic possession and tuberculosis as a result of an artistic tempe rament. The past decade has seen an explosion of information regarding th e mechanisms whereby body weight is controlled in mammalian species includ ing humans. We have been able to establish that the molecules which contr ol the process of energy balance in the more primitive species are also ce ntrally involved in the control of those processes in humans and that defe cts in those molecular processes result in severe obesity in humans. Inte restingly\, the majority of those defects thus far determined affect the a bility of a relatively primitive part of the brain\, the hypothalamus\, to sense satiation. It is highly likely that genetic variation involving th e function or expression of those molecules underlie differential suscepti bility of particular individuals to obesity under different environmental circumstances. The application of reductionist science to the problem of obesity provides the hope that our attitudes to this medical problem will emerge from the dark ages and that people with severe obesity will not onl y obtain useful therapy based on the knowledge of the causation of their p roblem but also will obtain the sympathy for their condition that is commo nly afforded to other life threatening diseases.\n\nReferences\n\n1) O’R ahilly S\, Farooqi S\, Yeo G\, Challis BG\nHuman obesity: Lessons from mon ogenic disorders.\nEndocrinology 2003\; 144\, 9:3757-64 (review).\n\n2) Fa rooqi IS\, O’Rahilly S\nMonogenic human obesity syndromes.\nRecent Prog Horm Res 2004\; 59:409-24.(review)\n\n3) Farooqi IS and O’Rahilly S Gene tics of Obesity in Endotext\, Online Publication \n\n4) Farooqi IS and O ’Rahilly S \n Monogenic obesity in humans.\n Ann Rev Med 2005\; 56:443-5 8 (review)\n\nBiography:\nProfessor Stephen O’Rahilly MD FRCP FRCPI FRCP ath FRS FMedSci\n\nStephen O’Rahilly graduated in Medicine from Universi ty College Dublin in 1981. From 1982 to 1991 he undertook postgraduate cl inical and research training in general medicine\, diabetes and endocrinol ogy in London\, Oxford and Harvard. In 1991 he obtained a Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Fellowship and established his laboratory at the Universit y of Cambridge at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. In 1996 he was appointed to a newly created Chair of Metabolic Medicine and in 2002 to the Chair of Cli nical Biochemistry and Medicine at the University of Cambridge. He is cur rently Head of the University Department of Clinical Biochemistry. His re search has been concerned with the elucidation of the basic causes of obes ity and Type 2 diabetes at a molecular level. His work has uncovered seve ral previously unrecognised genetic causes of these diseases including som e that are amenable to specific treatment. He has won many awards for his work including the Society for Endocrinology Medal\, the Graham Bull Priz e of the Royal College of Physicians of London\, the European Journal of E ndocrinology Prize\, the Novartis International Award for Clinical Researc h in Diabetes\, the Clinical Investigator Award of the Endocrine Society\, the Heinrich Wieland Prize\, the Rolf Luft Award and the Feldberg Award. He was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1999 and to the Roy al Society in 2003. He has a continuing commitment to clinical practice i n endocrinology and diabetes and the teaching of clinical medical students . He is Service Centre Director of the NHS Clinical Biochemistry Departme nt of Addenbrooke’s Hospital. He has made important contributions to th e development of infrastructure for clinical research on the Addenbrooke ’s campus. He was the founding Director of Addenbrooke’s Hospital We llcome Trust Clinical Research Facility (est. 2000) and led the University ’s efforts to fund and establish the Institute of Metabolic Science (IMS ). This Institute opened in 2007 and is co-directed by O’Rahilly and Dr Nick Wareham whose MRC Epidemiology Unit is located in the IMS. He has c ontributed more generally to UK clinical science through his Chairmanship of the Wellcome Trust Clinical Interest Group and service on the research committees of several charities. He is currently Chairman of the Medical Research Society and a member of the Council of the Academy of Medical Sci ences\, and of the Society for Endocrinology. LOCATION:Nihon Room\, Pembroke College END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR