Preclinical Metabolic Disease and Translational In Vivo Studies
The Signal Transduction and Metabolism Laboratory (STML) provides industry partners with specialized preclinical capabilities to evaluate therapeutic candidates in validated models of diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic liver disease, and related inflammatory disorders.
Located within the ULB Erasme Campus environment and closely associated with clinical expertise in gastroenterology and metabolic diseases, STML bridges mechanistic cellular studies with whole-body physiology, enabling robust translational evaluation of therapeutic strategies.
STML’s preclinical services include:
In vivo metabolic efficacy studies
STML performs comprehensive metabolic phenotyping studies to evaluate therapeutic candidates, including:
Glucose tolerance tests.
Insulin tolerance tests.
Pyruvate tolerance tests.
Body weight and metabolic monitoring.
Body composition analysis using EchoMRI™ 3-in-1.
Energy expenditure and activity assessment using TSE PhenoMaster metabolic cages.
These platforms enable evaluation of therapeutic effects on:
Glucose homeostasis.
Insulin sensitivity.
Energy metabolism.
Obesity-related metabolic dysfunction.
Quantitative assessment of insulin action and glucose metabolism
STML has specialized expertise in hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp studies, providing industry-grade assessment of whole-body insulin sensitivity.
Capabilities include:
Gold-standard measurement of insulin responsiveness.
Determination of glucose infusion rates.
Tracer-based metabolic flux analysis.
Evaluation of tissue-specific glucose metabolism.
These approaches are particularly valuable for:
Diabetes drug development.
Obesity therapeutics.
Insulin sensitizer programs.
Metabolic pathway modulation studies.
Preclinical disease models and therapeutic validation
STML supports evaluation of therapeutic approaches targeting:
Type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes.
Obesity and insulin resistance.
Metabolic liver disease.
Inflammatory metabolic disorders.
Studies can include:
Pharmacological intervention testing.
Genetic validation studies.
Proof-of-concept efficacy studies.
Mechanistic investigation of therapeutic response.
Advanced surgical and transplantation expertise
STML has extensive expertise in small animal metabolic surgery and transplantation procedures, including:
Human stem cell-derived islet transplantation.
Primary pancreatic islet transplantation.
Hepatic surgical models.
Hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp catheterization procedures.
Primary hepatocyte isolation.
These capabilities provide industry partners with access to highly specialized translational models that are not routinely available in academic or standard preclinical laboratories.
Support our research
You have the opportunity to become a supporter of the work being undertaken at the Signal Transduction & Metabolism Laboratory - your support will help the new generation of junior researchers become experienced scientists and may make a difference in the search of better treatments for diabetes and liver cancer.
