At the META-IMAGEOMICS Research Laboratory, we study human metabolism by combining advanced medical imaging with molecular and physiological measurements. Our research focuses on how different tissues, particularly brown and white adipose tissue, contribute to energy metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and metabolic health.
We integrate quantitative imaging with multi-omics and metabolic phenotyping to understand tissue-specific metabolism and identify biological pathways linked to obesity and insulin resistance.
Our Approach
To examine metabolism at multiple levels: whole-body, tissue, cellular, and molecular. We utilise a powerful toolkit that includes:
• PET imaging to quantify tissue-specific metabolism, substrate use, and receptor function
• CT scanning for anatomical assessments and tissue composition
• MRI for structural, functional, and metabolic imaging
• Metabolomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and lipidomics for systemic biochemical profiling
• Continuous glucose monitoring to capture real-time glycaemic dynamics
• Blood samples for hormones, metabolites, cytokines, and molecular markers
• Gut microbiome profiling to explore host–microbe metabolic interactions
• Hormone measurements to assess endocrine regulation of energy balance
• Indirect calorimetry for whole-body energy expenditure and substrate oxidation
• Hyperinsulinaemic–euglycaemic clamps to quantify insulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility
• Pharmacological and Nutraceutical interventions to test metabolic pathways in vivo
• Behavioural interventions (diet, cold exposure) to study adaptable metabolic responses
Research Vision
Our goal is to use quantitative medical imaging as a tool to understand human metabolism in vivo. By combining total-body imaging with omics, dynamic metabolic measurements, and targeted interventions, we aim to:
– define tissue-specific metabolic responses,
– study how metabolism is coordinated across organs,
– identify early features of metabolic dysfunction, and
– uncover pathways linked to metabolic health.
Our ultimate goal is to advance translational metabolism by connecting what we learn about human metabolic mechanisms with clinically relevant questions in metabolic health and disease.
Our Funders
