The main objective of the present project MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND INTERTISULAR COMMUNICATION IN INSULIN RESISTANCE (MOIR2) is the study of the different molecular mechanisms involved in the development of insulin resistance, a circumstance related with pathophysiological states such as obesity, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome.Insulin resistance does not develop either at the same time or with the same intensity in all tissues. Besides, the knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that initiate the development of insulin resistance in the different tissues and the identification of the tissues that lead the process and how they operate is quite important in order to define early interventions to ameliorate or even reverse the process. Particularly important with this respect and one of the main objectives of the present project are the intertisular communications that lead to the development of a state of generalized insulin resistance. Insulin resistance results from the interaction between genetic and environmental determinants. Changes in the lifestyle in developed countries, and particularly in economically emerging developing countries, have triggered the prevalence of T2DM and metabolic syndrome in the latest years.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that the number of people with T2DM would rise from 135 million in 1995 to 299 by the year 2025. These data have been revised by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimating that the number would increase from 246 million in 2007 to 380 million in 2025. If we add to these considerations the increase in aged people in developed countries, it is clear that insulin resistance is a main health problem that requires attention. Nearly 30% of the population would present insulin resistance and its consequences. The best way to face a problem is to know it, studying the causes, the mechanisms and the consequences in order to identify potential therapeutic targets and/or early biomarkers to help in the treatment and in the early detection. The objectives of this consortium include the study of the main tissues involved in the control of glucose homeostasis; white and brown adipose tissues, liver, muscle, pancreas, brain, kidney and heart, and their interactions in the development of insulin resistance. To achieve this, the consortium presents a variety of tools and models that include cellular, animal and traslational approaches that will allow the analysis of insulin resistance in different pathophysiological circumstances such as obesity, ageing, pregnancy, development and in genetically modified rodent models. This variety of models and approaches is hardly affordable for any group separately.