A groundbreaking international study, led by scientists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, has mapped the diverse populations of fat cells across different human fat tissues. Using advanced technology, researchers identified distinct subpopulations of fat cells with more complex functions than previously understood. They also discovered variations in how fat tissues communicate at the cellular level.

Published in Nature Genetics, these findings lay the foundation for future research aimed at advancing personalized medicine for obesity.

The research team, led by Prof. Esti Yeger-Lotem and Prof. Assaf Rudich from the Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in collaboration with Prof. Naomi Habib from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Profs. Matthias Bluher, Antje Korner and Martin Gericke from the University of Leipzig, Germany, and Prof. Rinki Murphy from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, studied the diversity of fat cells in subcutaneous and intra-abdominal (visceral) fat tissues in humans.