Course summary

Obesity and its metabolic consequences are major and growing threats to public health. Although obesity is not a “new” disease, its prevalence has been increasing dramatically in developed and developing countries. Current projections from the World Obesity Federation and International Diabetes Federation predict that by 2030, 1 billion people will be living with obesity and 642 million will be living with diabetes across the world. The design of successful management strategies for obesity and related metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes depends on better understanding the fundamental mechanisms of appetite and energy balance, and how obesity leads to adverse downstream metabolic consequences. Indeed, we are currently witnessing a surge in the development of new and effective therapies based on dramatic advances in our mechanistic understanding of energy balance regulation. The Institute of Metabolic Science is offering a full-time taught MPhil in Obesity, Endocrinology & Metabolism, with an overarching goal of providing students with in-depth cutting-edge knowledge of the physiology and pathophysiology of energy balance and metabolism, and both current and future therapeutic opportunities. Students will also undertake a 32-week research project in a world-leading laboratory. Research projects available to students will span the full range of expertise at the Institute of Metabolic Science including molecular and cell biology, mouse models, human physiology, genomics, computational biology, and state-of-the-art technologies. The main educational aims of the course are to: to give students with relevant experience at first-degree level the opportunity to carry out focused research in the discipline under close supervision; and to give students the opportunity to acquire or develop skills and expertise relevant to their research interests.