Deciphering the molecular and cellular determinants of intermuscular adiposity
Deciphering the molecular and cellular determinants of intermuscular adiposity
Name of applicant
Ibrahim AlZaim
Title
PhD student
Institution
Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Amount
DKK 2,837,533
Year
2026
Type of grant
Internationalisation Fellowships
What?
This project deciphers how intermuscular fat emerges within human muscle by resolving the cellular, molecular, and vascular cell-instructed mechanisms governing precursor cell fate. We aim to define how specialised microenvironments, particularly vascular niches, instruct adipogenic conversion of precursor cells at unprecedented spatial and molecular resolution.
Why?
Intermuscular fat accumulation is a defining feature of ageing, obesity, and metabolic disease, yet its predominant cellular origins and regulatory logic remain poorly understood. By uncovering its governing principles, this project will advance fundamental insight into fatty muscle degeneration and possibly open new avenues for targeted therapeutic intervention.
How?
Combining multimodal single-nucleus sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and targeted functional experiments, we will uncover how vascular signals instruct precursor cell fate. By integrating multimodal human data with mechanistic validation in primary cells, we will identify key pathways that drive fat formation in muscles and that possibly represent potential targets for intervention.