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Principal Investigator

Alexander Tups 186x228Associate Professor Alexander Tups

Associate Professor Alexander Tups' biography
Email alexander.tups@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 479 4862
Fax +64 3 479 7323
Department of Physiology website

Research interests

The focus of our research at the Centre for Neuroendocrinology is on the neuroendocrine regulation of metabolism. In particular we are interested in the central interaction of the adiposity hormones leptin and insulin, which appears crucial for the maintenance of energy and glucose homeostasis. We established that a loss of central leptin action during obesity leads to impaired insulin action, which might explain the striking correlation of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

We investigate neuroendocrine mechanisms that link obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

We focus on manipulating these crucial pathways via nutritive, genetherapeutic and pharmacological approaches to potentially avoid the manifestation of nutrition related diseases.

Clinical conditions

  • Obesity
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Cancer

List of publications for Alexander Tups (Google Scholar)

Tups Laboratory staff and students

Mohammed Rizwan.Mohammed Rizwan, Research Fellow
Email: mohammed.rizwan@otago.ac.nz

Research funders

Publications

Du, L. Y., Keerthisinghe, P., Rolland, L., Sung, Y. J., Darroch, H., Linnerz, T., … Tups, A., … Hall, C. J. (2025). A light-regulated circadian timer optimizes neutrophil bactericidal activity to boost daytime immunity. Science Immunology, 10, eadn3080. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adn3080 Journal - Research Article

Hussain, R., Keerthisinghe, P., & Tups, A. (2024, August-September). Blue light impairs circadian behaviour in Zebrafish (Danio rerio). Poster session presented at the 18th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Boer, G. A., Rizwan, M. Z., Ladyman, S., Garratt, M., & Tups, A. (2024, August-September). Control of energy balance by hypothalamic and hindbrain GIP receptors. Verbal presentation at the 18th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Sequeira-Bisson, I. R., Lu, L. W., Silvestre, M. P., Plank, L. D., Middleditch, N., Acevedo-Fani, A., Parry-Strong, A., … Tups, A., … Krebs, J. D., … Poppitt, S. D. (2024). Glycaemic response to a nut-enriched diet in Asian Chinese adults with normal or high glycaemia: The Tū Ora RCT. Nutrients, 16(13), 2103. doi: 10.3390/nu16132103 Journal - Research Article

Tups, L. (2024, June). The development of Dahlia4® natural glucose support: How combining neuroscience with metabolism can lead to a patented fully commercialised product. UOC Biomedical Research Seminar Series, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand. [Research Presentation]. Other Research Output

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