MATIDY (ANR-20-CE45-0003-01) project is funded by ANR (JCJC CE45)

Recently, diseases related to obesity have emerged as a serious and increasing public health issue worldwide. Indeed, adipose tissue is central in many physiological pathways involved in these diseases. Clarifying the dynamics of adipocyte size and number evolution is crucial to better understand the pathophysiological basis of those related diseases. We will study adipocyte size dynamics with mathematical models based on biological data, in particular in various health conditions (healthy, obesity, kidney diseases). We aim to mimic characteristic cell size distributions and therefore provide information on their connections with health conditions.

Our goal is to develop a mathematical model that describes the adipocyte size dynamics, based on exchange of lipids, including the recruitment of new adypocytes and the constraints of fibrosis development. The available data will be used to parameterize the model through adapted parameter estimation procedures that we will develop. We will describe the time evolution of adipocyte size, in control situation for several animal species, after fat diet or caloric restriction, and in obese patients that underwent bariatric surgery.

This highly interdisciplinary project builds on a strong collaboration between biologists, physicians and applied mathematicians.