Description
Cancer cachexia is the progressive loss of body weight, accompanied by loss of appetite, which affects around 80% of cancer patients. Inappropriate activation of anorectic brain circuits may underlie significant morbidity in cachexia. Reduced feeding occurs through inappropriate activation of appetite-suppressing feeding circuits. Our lab has previously demonstrated that increased energy expenditure in the form of increased brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis adds to weight loss, but the neural drivers of this are unknown. This project will use cutting edge mouse genetics to assess the role of feeding-related brain circuits in control of cachexia, specifically measuring metabolic rate, brown fat thermogenesis and appetite and body weight control.
Essential criteria:
Minimum entry requirements can be found here: https://www.monash.edu/admissions/entry-requirements/minimum
Keywords
Brown adipose tissue; cachexia; appetite; brain; thermogenesis;
School
Biomedicine Discovery Institute (School of Biomedical Sciences) » Physiology
Available options
PhD/Doctorate
Masters by research
Honours
Time commitment
Full-time
Part-time
Top-up scholarship funding available
No
Physical location
Clayton Campus