Clinical research; incretin physiology; type 2 diabetes; bariatric surgery; Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) improves metabolic control and sometimes leads to remission of type 2 diabetes within days after the operation. This is partly explained by a changed secretion of gut hormones (e.g. incresed secretion of GLP-1). In order to investigate this phenomenon further, we retrieve gut biopsies from patients before/after RYGB and analyse the expression of hormones from enteroendocrine cells potentially regulating appetite and blood glucose. The patients also undergo mixed meal tests to evaluate the secretion of gut hormones to the blood.
My PhD project will contribute to 1) potentially find a yet unknown gut hormone crucial for regulation of blood glucose and appetite. This information could be used to create novel therapeutics for treatment of type 2 diabetes and/or obesity; 2) unravel important physiology about the influence of RYGB on gut and circulation related to appetite and blood glucose metabolism.