Although adipocytes are described as the specialized cells of adipose tissue (AT), they represent only one-third of the tissue, with other cell types including preadipocytes, fibro-adipogenic progenitor cells, immune, endothelial, vascular and smooth muscle cells. The relative proportion of each cell type varies markedly depending on factors such as the fat depots, changes in body weight and fat cell mass. Changes in adipose tissue cellular composition of adipose tissues have been suggested to determine how changes in fat mass can affect health.

This project investigates changes in human visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) cellular landscape after bariatric surgery. We aim to characterize the depot-specific shifts in cell type proportions and function in human AT depots in response to significant weight reduction, as well as the link between these cell types and the clinical outcomes during obesity treatment. Such unbiased investigation at single-cell levels could benefit to identifying novel predictors and putative mechanisms for the cardiometabolic response of substantial weight loss.