Under the RMH Research Scholarship, supported by the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Biochemistry, I carried out my project at the Institute of Metabolic Science–Metabolic Research Laboratories (IMS-MRL) in Cambridge. My research focused on GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) signaling in human hypothalamic POMC neurons, a key model for understanding appetite regulation and obesity treatments. While GLP-1R agonists such as Semaglutide are highly effective for weight loss, their exact neuronal mechanisms remain unclear. I investigated how GLP-1R activation partitions between the Gs/cAMP pathway and the Gq/11–Ca²⁺ pathway, using live-cell calcium imaging and selective pharmacological inhibition. This project addresses an important gap in the literature and contributes to the development of more effective and tolerable anti-obesity therapies.
