Poster #002
Genetic Variation Underlying Differential Weight Loss on Semaglutide
Mentors: Jason Perez; Meaghan McCoy; Anna Kamitakahara, PhD
1 in 3 Americans have obesity, a disease linked to an increased risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Bariatric surgery is the current gold standard treatment, but it’s expensive, highly invasive, and loses effectiveness long-term. Semaglutide (SEMA) injections, which are cheaper and less invasive, have surfaced as a popular alternative weight loss solution. However, 10-15% of patients fail to lose weight on SEMA. We hypothesize that differences in gene expression within the arcuate nucleus (ARC), a brain region that responds to SEMA and helps regulate feeding behavior, underlie these differential responses. To investigate, we performed bulk RNA sequencing on ARCs from C57BL6/J mice, which lose significant weight on SEMA, and New Zealand Obese mice, which do not lose weight on SEMA. Identifying genetic differences between these strains will help us identify potential targets for future obesity drugs that work better across genetically diverse populations.