Why?

Obesity is probably one of the major health problems in developed countries and a growing one in the developing world. More than 68% of the US population is overweight, giving the country the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity in the world.

In Europe and in France, 32% and 43% of the population are overweight respectively and the obesity prevalence rises every year. As a result, obesity-related diseases account for up to 8% of health costs in Europe.

OptoPath answers

New pertinent animal models of obesity and innovative equipment allowing coupling with optogenetics approaches

This equipment is composed of new behavioral boxes and an automated platform for calorimetry analysis.

The new cages have been designed to receive a specific commutator for possible manipulation of candidate neuronal circuits known to participate in the regulation of eating behavior.

The automated platform for calorimetry analysis allows metabolic characterization of the obtained behavioral phenotypes.

Operant metabolic cage		Calorimetry cage

Therapeutic and Diagnosis tests in the context of Obesity

Because of the lack of experimental approaches resembling closely human eating behavior, we have developed a novel experimental set-up that allows studying animal feeding behavior in conditions resembling the human situation. Thus, the associated phenotypic characterization is expected to shed light on the mechanisms underscoring vulnerability or resistance to obesity, providing critical insight into the physiopathological mechanisms leading to the disease.

Therapeutic test in the context of Obesity

• OBE 1 : Evaluation of the acute and chronic actions of new compounds on energy balance regulation in rodents using a comprehensive behavioral and metabolic approach

Diagnosis / Phenotyping Test in the context of Obesity

• OBE 2 : A new computer-based tool to evaluate food-related hedonic and motivational states in humans : a new phenotyping test in the context of obesity