# The role of adipose tissue in adaptive responses to exercise

> **NIH NIH K01** · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · 2024 · $151,902

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Adipose tissue phenotype and physiology are thought to be important contributors to overall metabolic health,
and our preliminary data suggests that exercise training improves adipose tissue biology. The objectives of the
proposed project are to elucidate how alterations in adipose tissue cellular composition and endocrine signaling
may contribute to the beneficial adaptations to exercise and to generate new mechanistic insights into the role
of adipose tissue in metabolic health.
Aim 1 will study the effects of exercise training on adipose tissue macrophage populations and inflammatory
profile and will examine the association of these changes with metabolic health. Older adults with prediabetes
and obesity will participate in a 3-month exercise training intervention with metabolic health, adipose tissue
macrophage populations, and adipose inflammatory molecular signatures measured before and after the training
intervention. Aim 2 will determine how acute exercise triggers key signaling events (e.g., immune cell infiltration,
release of adipokines, extracellular vesicles) in adipose tissue that are likely to have paracrine and endocrine
effects. Leukocyte populations and inflammatory signatures will be assessed in adipose tissue biopsies collected
from older adults before, immediately after, and 3 hours after a 30-minute bout of cycling exercise. The adipose
tissue secretome will be assessed in plasma and in media collected from cultured human adipose tissue
explants. Overall, this project will elucidate the effects of exercise on adipose tissue phenotype and provide
mechanistic insight into the causes of metabolic dysfunction.
The career development plan that accompanies the proposed project will facilitate my successful transition to
independent research scientist. My career development plan will provide the foundation on which I can build an
independent research program, comprising the following elements: didactic training in multidisciplinary fields;
mentorship by experts in bioinformatics, clinical and translational research, diabetes, aging, and exercise; and
hands-on experience in clinical research, bioinformatics, and scientific communication With the proposed career
development plan, I will learn new statistical and bioinformatics approaches and laboratory techniques; gain
basic knowledge in tangential fields of science to enable me to ask integrative questions and to seek out
multidisciplinary collaborators; and lead an independent clinical trial, gaining vital experience in clinical research
with guidance from experience mentors. The supportive environment fostered by my mentorship team and by
Mayo Clinic will allow me to establish multidisciplinary collaborations and to become an independent investigator.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10818398
- **Project number:** 5K01DK134765-02
- **Recipient organization:** MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Hawley E Kunz
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $151,902
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-05-01 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10818398

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10818398, The role of adipose tissue in adaptive responses to exercise (5K01DK134765-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10818398. Licensed CC0.

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