Event: caesarium
Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Friedman
Rockefeller University
New York, USA
Contents
The number of overweight people is growing dramatically. In Germany, about half of the adult population is overweight and almost a quarter even is obese. In some cases, calorie-rich food and lack of physical activity are the reasons. But such a simple diagnosis is unfair to many persons affected. Changes in the genetic material can also be the cause of obesity.
Prof. Dr. Jeffrey M. Friedman, director at Rockefeller University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute in New York, discovered a hormone called leptin, which is released by fetal cells of the body. Mice lacking the leptin gene are highly overweight. If the hormone is supplied to them, they lose their appetite and the body weight decreases. Friedman also found neurons in the brain that have a receptor for leptin and thus control the eating behavior. It has been proven that the results are transferable to humans. For his merits, Friedman was awarded the Lasker Award and the Zülch Prize. A part of the Zülch Prize ceremony is a public lecture, which will be held within the framework of the caesarium.
Because the number of seats in the lecture hall is limited and we expect a lot of visitors, we recommend an early arrival by 6:30 pm. Please note that the lecture is recorded and published on the internet. Impressions from the audience may also be filmed. You can find recordings of previous talks on our YouTube channel.