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Confocal microscopy image of a mouse brain
Helmholtz Munich | © Ismael Gonzalez-Garcia

Helmholtz Diabetes Center Institute for Diabetes and Obesity

The Institute for Diabetes and Obesity (IDO) investigates the diseases of metabolic syndrome by means of systems biological and translational approaches on the basis of cellular systems, genetically modified mouse models and clinical intervention studies.

The Institute for Diabetes and Obesity (IDO) investigates the diseases of metabolic syndrome by means of systems biological and translational approaches on the basis of cellular systems, genetically modified mouse models and clinical intervention studies.

Our Research Groups

Portrait Timo Müller
Helmholtz Munich | Haggenmüller
Müller Lab

Molecular Pharmacology

Porträt Cristina Garcia Caceres
Helmholtz Munich | ©Michael Haggenmueller
García Cáceres Lab

Astrocyte-Neuron Networks

Porträt Fabiana Perocchi
©Michael Haggenmueller
Perocchi Lab/ Independent Research Group

Functional Genomics of Mitochondria

Porträt Natalie Krahmer
Helmholtz Munich | ©Michael Haggenmueller
Krahmer Lab

Cellular Proteomics and Metabolic Signaling

IDO_Cebrian Serrano, Alberto
Helmholtz Munich | © Michael Haggenmüller
Cebrian Serrano Lab

Genetics

Dominik Lutter 3
Matthias Tunger Photodesign
Lutter Lab

Computational Discovery Research

View Lab

Our Independent Research Unit

Paul Pfluger Portrait Querformat
Matthias Tunger Photodesign
Pfluger Lab

(NBD) Neurobiology of Diabetes

Our Administrational Units

Portrait Timo Müller
Helmholtz Munich | Haggenmüller
Prof. Dr. Timo Müller

Animal Administration

Maryna Bondarava
Helmholtz Munich | © Michael Haggenmüller

Our News

Our staff

Porträt Cristina Garcia Caceres

Prof. Dr. Cristina García Cáceres

Deputy Director (acting), Group Leader View profile
Porträt Fabiana Perocchi

Prof. Dr. Fabiana Perocchi

Group Leader (W3 Associate Professor)
Porträt Sonja Schriever

Dr. Sonja Schriever

Deputy Head
Portrait Philipp Melander

Philipp Melander

Koordinator Budget & Personal
Porträt Marion Konheiser

Marion Konheiser

Assistant to the Director
IMG_7203_Lena_profile_left 1

Lena Heisel

Team Assistant
Porträt Daniela Heine

Daniela Heine

Lab manager
Porträt Daniel Brandt

Daniel Brandt

Technician
Porträt Sabina Chubanava

Dr. Sabina Chubanava

Postdoc

Dr. Pâmela Kakimoto

Postdoc
Maity Kumar Gandhari

Dr. Gandhari Maity Kumar

Postdoc
Porträt Robert Gutgesell

Robert Gutgesell

PhD Student

Peggy Dörfelt

Technician
deBernardis Murat Cahue

Dr. Cahuê De Bernardis Murat

Postdoc

Noémi Mallet

Technician
Porträt Cristina Mencias

Cristina Mencías

PhD Student
Porträt Berivan Sahin

Berivan Sahin

PhD Student

Dr. Ekta Pathak

Postdoc
Daniel Haas

Daniel Haas

PhD Student

Dr. Beata Legutko

Senior Scientist

Marlene Kilian

Technician
Porträt Clarita Layritz

Clarita Layritz

Technician

Dr. Gerald Grandl

Postdoc

Wenjie Lu

Technician
Porträt Xue Liu

Dr. Xue Liu

Postdoc

Sneha Prakash

PhD Student
Porträt Oezuem Caliskan

Özum Sehnaz Caliskan

PhD Student
Porträt Carina Dürr

Carina Dürr

PhD Student
Porträt Nicole Klas

Nicole Klas

Technician

Dr. Ahmed Khalil

Postdoc
Porträt Melanie Huber

Melanie Huber

PhD Student

Dr. Daniela Liśkiewicz

Postdoc

Christian Mulas

Scientist

Anna Molenaar

PhD Student

Callum Coupland

PhD Student

Russell Lorenzo Castelino

PhD Student

Özüm Ezgi Karaoglu

PhD Student

Dr. Meri De Angelis

Postdoc

Sara Ribičić Vilić

Research Scientist

Miriam Krekel

Technician
Porträt Ophelia Le Thuc

Dr. Ophélia Le Thuc

Postdoc
Porträt Cassie Hollemann

Cassie Hollemann

Technician

Dr. Yanjun Xu

Postdoc
Porträt Margarita Chudenkova

Margarita Chudenkova

PhD Student
Michael Sheng Fu Feng

Michael Sheng-Fu Feng

PhD Student
Scarlett Dornauer_freigestellt

Scarlett Dornauer

Technician

Dr. Joana Veríssimo Ferreira

Postdoc

Safal Walia

PhD Student
Porträt Balma Garcia

Balma Carcia Colomer

Technician
Porträt Sophie Wilson

Sophie Wilson

PhD Student

Xenia Leonhardt

Technician

Dr. Aaron Novikoff

Postdoc
Porträt Songül Sahin

Songül Sahin

Lab Assistant

Dr. Arkadiusz Liśkiewicz

Postdoc
Porträt Elena Garcia

Elena Garcia Clave

PhD Student (HDC School)

Eva Maria Trautmann

PhD Student

Hilda Carolina Delgado De la Herrán

PhD Student

Natalia Prudente de Mello

PhD Student
Porträt Miriam Bernecker

Miriam Bernecker

PhD Student (HDC School)

Dr. Yiming Cheng

Senior Bioinformatician/Scientist

Dr. Konstantinos Makris

Postdoc

Dr. Hassan Moosaabadi

Postdoc

Sabrina Alexandra Liedtke

PhD Student

Gülsah Erdogan

PhD Student

Parsa Hariri

PhD Student

Recent Publication Highlights

See all

April 2025 Nature Metabolism

Robert M. Gutgesell, Ahmed Khalil, Arkadiusz Liskiewicz, Gandhari Maity-Kumar, Aaron Novikoff, Gerald Grandl, Daniela Liskiewicz, Callum Coupland, Ezgi Karaoglu, Seun Akindehin, Russell Castelino, Fabiola Curion, Xue Liu, Cristina Garcia-Caceres, Alberto Cebrian-Serrano, Jonathan D. Douros, Patrick J. Knerr, Brian Finan, Richard D. DiMarchi, Kyle W. Sloop, Ricardo J. Samms, Fabian J. Theis, Matthias H. Tschöp, Timo D. Müller

GIPR agonism and antagonism decrease body weight and food intake via different mechanisms in male mice

Agonists and antagonists of the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) enhance body weight loss induced by glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonism. However, while GIPR agonism decreases body weight and food intake in a GLP-1R-independent manner via GABAergic GIPR+ neurons, it remains unclear whether GIPR antagonism affects energy metabolism via a similar mechanism. Here we show that the body weight and food intake effects of GIPR antagonism are eliminated in mice with global loss of either Gipr or Glp-1r but are preserved in mice with loss of Gipr in either GABAergic neurons of the central nervous system or peripherin-expressing neurons of the peripheral nervous system. Single-nucleus RNA-sequencing shows opposing effects of GIPR agonism and antagonism in the dorsal vagal complex, with antagonism, but not agonism, closely resembling GLP-1R signalling. Additionally, GIPR antagonism and GLP-1R agonism both regulate genes implicated in synaptic plasticity. Collectively, we show that GIPR agonism and antagonism decrease body weight via different mechanisms, with GIPR antagonism, unlike agonism, depending on functional GLP-1R signalling.

January 2025 Cell Press

Tim Gruber, Franziska Lechner, Jean-Philippe Krieger, Cristina García-Cáceres

Neuroendocrine gut–brain signaling in obesity

The past decades have witnessed the rise and fall of several, largely unsuccessful, therapeutic attempts to bring the escalating obesity pandemic to a halt. Looking back to look ahead, the field has now put its highest hopes in translating insights from how the gastrointestinal (GI) tract communicates with the brain to calibrate behavior, physiology, and metabolism. A major focus of this review is to summarize the latest advances in comprehending the neuroendocrine aspects of this so-called ‘gut–brain axis’ and to explore novel concepts, cutting-edge technologies, and recent paradigm-shifting experiments. These exciting insights continue to refine our understanding of gut–brain crosstalk and are poised to promote the development of additional therapeutic avenues at the dawn of a new era of antiobesity therapeutics.

December 2024 Nature Reviews Endocrinology

Cristina Garcia-Caceres

Advances in appetite regulation by the arcuate nucleus

In 2024, new insights identified a cluster of leptin-targeted neurons and integrative networks that link sensory inputs (heat and food perception) with feeding centres and peripheral systems. Key findings revealed hypothalamic site-specific adaptive mechanisms, in which nutritional state-dependent remodelling of extracellular compounds and neuropeptide transmission calibrate appetite via the arcuate nucleus.

Our Networks and Affiliations

Contact

Porträt Marion Konheiser

Marion Konheiser

Assistant to the Director

Building 3620, Room 242c