Contact Details
University Links
- Position
- Research Fellow
- Department
- Department of Anatomy
- Research summary
- Research into the hormone GIP and its role in obesity and healthy ageing
- Memberships
- Publicity and Events Committee
Research
My research focuses on the hormone glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). It is increasingly recognised that GIP affects diverse physiological processes throughout the body, including the maintenance of energy balance. GIP has become a target for obesity therapies, and GIP-based drugs such as tirzepatide will likely have a major impact on health in New Zealand. However, both GIP receptor (GIPR) agonism and antagonism induce weight loss, and the mechanism behind this remains unclear. Furthermore, there are indications that GIPR modulation could extend a healthy lifespan, with future treatments possibly targeting diverse diseases of ageing.
In my research projects, I use different mouse models to modulate GIPR expression in desired locations or neurons in the brain to determine how GIPR signalling in these regions / neurons is involved in the pathophysiology of obesity and processes that affect healthy ageing. With my research, I aim to reveal key mechanisms of action of GIP-based obesity therapies, thereby contributing to the optimisation of these drugs and broadening their scope for application to treat age-related conditions.
Publications
Pretz, D., Heyward, P. M., Krebs, J., Gruchot, J., Barter, C., Silcock, P., Downes, N., Rizwan, M. Z., Boucsein, A., Bender, J., Burgess, E. J., Boer, G. A., Perry, N. B., & Tups, A. (2023, August-September). A dahlia flower extract has anti-diabetic properties by improving insulin function in the brain. Verbal presentation at the Queenstown Molecular Biology (QMB) Hypothalamic Neuroscience & Neuroendocrinology Australasia (HNNA) Satellite, Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Pretz, D., Heyward, P. M., Krebs, J., Gruchot, J., Barter, C., Silcock, P., Downes, N., Rizwan, M. Z., Boucsein, A., … Boer, G. A., Perry, N. B., & Tups, A. (2023, August). From mechanistic biomedical research on hypothalamic inflammation to a dietary supplement for glucose support. Verbal presentation at the 17th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Pretz, D., Heyward, P. M., Krebs, J., Gruchot, J., Barter, C., Silcock, P., Downes, N., Rizwan, M. Z., Boucsein, A., Bender, J., Burgess, E. J., Boer, G. A., Keerthisinghe, P., Perry, N. B., & Tups, A. (2023). A dahlia flower extract has anti-diabetic properties by improving insulin function in the brain. Life Metabolism, 2(4), load026. doi: 10.1093/lifemeta/load026 Journal - Research Article
Boer, G. A., Hay, D. L., & Tups, A. (2022). Obesity pharmacotherapy: Incretin action in the central nervous system [Review]. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 44(1), 50-63. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2022.11.001 Journal - Research Article
Gabe, M. B. N., Skov-Jeppesen, K., Gasbjerg, L. S., Schiellerup, S. P., Martinussen, C., Gadgaard, S., Boer, G. A., … Rosenkilde, M. M. (2022). GIP and GLP-2 together improve bone turnover in humans supporting GIPR-GLP-2R co-agonists as future osteoporosis treatment. Pharmacological Research, 176, 106058. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2022.106058 Journal - Research Article