FFARmacology in diabetes – an emerging picture for the free fatty acid receptor family in disease

Metabolism & EndocrinologyMetabolism & Endocrinology (ME)

Organised by Simon Poucher (AstraZeneca, Macclesfield, UK)

Fatty acids have long been known as important metabolic substrates and as structural components of biological membranes. However, they also function as signaling molecules. Recently, a series of G protein-coupled receptors (GPRs) for FAs has been described and characterized. Fatty acid receptors have been found to be expressed on different cell types and  may be highly relevant to a number of metabolic related processes and diseases.  For example, expression profiling indicates a wide range of fatty acid receptors within GI tract, immune cells, adipose tissue, pancreas and CNS.  This meeting is an opportunity to raise and discuss in an open forum some of the challenges associated with understanding the pharmacology of this receptor family. 

Complexities of FFAR pharmacology
Graeme Milligan, (University of Glasgow, UK)
Regulation and mechanisms of action of the FFA receptor GPR40
Vincent Poitout, (Montreal Diabetes Research Center, Canada)
Free fatty acids and their receptors in diabetes
Noel Morgan, (Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry, Plymouth, UK)
Regulation of innate immunity by SCFA and GPR43 – A link between diet, gut microbiota and the immune system
Kendle Maslowski, (University of Lausanne, Switzerland)
Fat detection in the mouth is mediated by GPR40 (FFAR1) and GPR120
Sami Damak, (Nestle Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland)
Non-GPCR mediated effects of free fatty acids
Phillip Calder, (University of Southampton, UK)