ABSTRACT
Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Adipose Tissue: Energizing Good Fat,
organized by Drs. Silvia Corvera, Kendra Bence and Rana Gupta. The conference will be held in Keystone,
Colorado from January 15-19, 2023.
Adipose tissue plays a critical role in metabolic health. Having a better understanding of its biology will guide
development of new therapeutics for metabolic diseases. Therefore, this conference was developed to
address key emerging questions in the field, from physiological to molecular, in order to facilitate synergy
between established groups while also providing new trainees with a better picture of critical knowledge gaps.
Key questions to be covered include: How do different adipose tissue depots contribute to systemic
metabolism? How many types of adipocytes exist, and how do they contribute to the functions of different
depots? How do adipocytes develop from progenitor cells? How do elements such as immune cells,
vasculature and innervation influence their development? And finally, how do adipocyte lipid droplets and
mitochondria develop, function and influence systemic metabolic homeostasis? There will also be discussions
on how to envision research on adipose tissue in relation to the broader topic of human health. Adipose tissue
disfunction, as manifested by obesity and metabolic disease, disproportionally affects groups
underrepresented in medicine and research. Therefore, this health inequity will be addressed through a
keynote address as well as a health disparities workshop. This program will also include a career development
workshop for trainees. Finally, this conference will be paired with the Keystone Symposia conference on
Bioenergetics in Health and Diseases. In order to help stimulate networking opportunities and develop new
collaborations, there have been three joint sessions designed for these conferences: Metabolic Flux in Health
and Disease, Bioenergetics and Energy Homeostasis, and Adipose Tissue and Metabolic Diseases.