Research Grants (for bariatric surgery and post-surgical outcomes)

Research Grants (for bariatric surgery and post-surgical outcomes) is sponsored by TREO Foundation. The TREO Foundation, in collaboration with ASMBS, sponsors scientific research grants concerning bariatric surgical procedures and the improvement of post-surgical outcomes.

Our Grants - TREO Foundation Our Grants Support Healthy Outcomes Funding research that matters We help improve access to quality care and effective treatment of obesity by eliminating policy, societal, economic and medical barriers. We help end the obesity epidemic by sponsoring scientific research grants regarding bariatric surgical procedures and improvement of post surgical outcomes.

We work to increase awareness and understanding of obesity by educating the public on the prevention and treatment options available. Meet the people making the breakthroughs “ Data from this work should help provide direction for both medical weight loss physicians as well as bariatric surgeons to better advise patients and make recommendations on using GLP-1 agonists after surgery .

” Andrew Wheeler, MD Recipient of the 2023 Research Grant Study Biometabolic Impact of Continuation of GLP-1 Agonists Following Bariatric Surgery: A Randomized Control Trial. Currently Dr. Wheeler is at the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. My academic clinical practice focuses on comprehensive weight management.

I have a particular clinical interest in maximizing the effectiveness of metabolic surgery using combined medical and surgical therapy before and after surgery. Funded by TREO Foundation TREO Foundation is working with ASMBS to solve the obesity problem by sponsoring scientific research grants concerning bariatric surgical procedures and improvement of post surgical outcomes.

A ‘Very High BMI’ DIO Mouse Model to Define Severe-Obesity Lipidomic Signatures for Metabolic Surgery and Obesity Treatment Translation Targets Understanding Fertility Goals for Women of Childbearing Age Seeking Obesity Treatment Development of a Multiple Health Behavior Change Intervention for Weight Loss and Smoking Cessation for Pre-Bariatric Surgery Patients Nicholas J.

Sketch, MD, MS Randomized Control Trial of Sleeve Gastrectomy with Tirzepatide in Maximizing Weight Loss (STIM) Understanding Clinician and Patient Decision Making Regarding Utilization of Medical. Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2, affects 42% of adults in the United States and has an estimated annual medical cost of $173 billion.

1 Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for obesity, yet it remains underutilized. 2-5 The recent approval of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) for weight loss represents a potentially important adjunctive treatment that is receiving widespread interest.

6-8 Given the novel nature of GLP-1RA, there is now considerable confusion and variation in how and when to use either medical or surgical treatment for obesity. As a result, the introduction of GLP-1RA may lead to considerable changes in utilization patterns for both medical and surgical obesity treatments in the coming years.

To optimize utilization of obesity treatments, there is a critical need to evaluate the impact of GLP-1RA introduction on clinician and patient perceptions affecting decision-making for medical versus surgical obesity treatment. Elucidating the Protective Mechanisms of Bariatric Surgery on Hepatocellular Carcinoma in an Obesity Mouse Model.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and obesity is a significant risk factor for HCC development and progression. Bariatric surgery has been shown to reduce cancer risk, including a lower prevalence of HCC. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain largely unexplored.

This study aims to investigate the impact of bariatric surgery on HCC progression in a dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced obesity mouse model. Biometabolic Impact of Continuation of GLP-1 Agonists Following Bariatric Surgery: A Randomized Control Trial.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is a hormone that helps regulate blood glucose levels through improved insulin sensitivity and release of insulin from the pancreas, control hunger, induce satiety and plays a role in the metabolic health of a person. GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs) have been shown to be effective in achieving weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes while improving blood glucose control.

Bariatric surgical procedures have been shown to be effective in treating obesity as well as superior to best medical therapy for treatment of diabetes.

Bariatric surgery has been shown to be effective in helping people with obesity lose weight and improve their health not just through restriction of calories but also through a positive impact in modifications of gut hormones, changes in circulating bile acids, modifications in the gut microflora as well as other undefined mechanisms. The combined benefits of GLP1-RAs with bariatric surgery have only been studied to a limited effect.

In this randomized trial, the effects of continuation or discontinuation of GLP1-RA therapy in patients undergoing bariatric surgery will be determined. Spatial Transcriptomics Reveals Oncoprotective Effect of Bariatric Surgery Against Breast Cancer.

While associations between weight gain and canonical pro-carcinogenic factors such as increased inflammation and metabolic derangements have been drawn[1–5], increasing attention is now drawn to the protective effects of weight loss interventions against development of malignancies[6–11].

As one of the most powerful tools to attain durable weight loss, bariatric surgery has become of greater interest as an intervention against cancers involving endocrine and metabolomic homeostasis, such as breast cancer where bariatric surgery confers up to a 37% risk reduction of breast cancer[12–18].

However, current literature exploring the relationship between breast cancer and weight loss has been retrospective human and small-scale mouse syngeneic graft studies without a focused delve into tumor microenvironment changes and surrounding breast stroma; limiting their generalizability and ability to conclude causality[12, 15, 16].

2022 ASMBS Obesity in America Survey The survey explored public perceptions of obesity and its treatment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers hypothesized that the American experience with COVID-19 would change the public’s views and behaviors on obesity, which emerged as a major risk factor for severe outcomes from COVID.

We are excited to report that the second ASMB S Obesity in America Survey , sponsored by the ASMBS Foundation, soon-to-be TREO Foundation, has been published in SOARD and over the last few weeks, has been the focus of news stories in US News & World Report , HealthDay , UPI , News Medical , Bariatric News and many others. The survey explored public perceptions of obesity and its treatment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers hypothesized that the American experience with COVID-19 would change the public’s views and behaviors on obesity, which emerged as a major risk factor for severe outcomes from COVID. Nearly a third of Americans said COVID-19 made them more worried than ever about having obesity, prompting 6. 4 million to consider treatment with bariatric surgery and anti-obesity medications for the first time in their lives.

Obesity was considered the biggest health threat facing the country, as big as cancer and even more of a threat than heart disease, diabetes, and COVID-19. Misperceptions persist about the best methods for long-term weight loss with nearly 75% thinking dieting and exercise alone was the most effective, even more so than involving a doctor (65%) or having bariatric and metabolic surgery (56%).

The survey shows public awareness and concerns over the dangers of obesity have never been higher. However, once the pandemic is long over, the disease of obesity will continue to exist in epidemic proportions if we don’t act, which is why your continued support is so vital. We must turn this new consideration of bariatric treatment into action – and the time is now!

Our partnership with ASMBS remains strong, and together with our donors, we will fuel the change we seek. Visit www. TREOFoundation.

org to learn how you can help transform the landscape of obesity treatment. President, ASMBS Foundation Functional Brain Imaging Characterization of Weight Regain and Weight Loss Maintenance Patients following Metabolic/Bariatric Surgery Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is the most effective obesity treatment, though the mechanisms underlying its marked weight loss compared to dietary/behavioral approaches remain unclear.

Despite its efficacy, however, weight regain can occur. Although weight regain can result from anatomic failure (e.g. gastro-gastric fistula), regain is typically multifactorial (e.g. environment, behavioral stressors, new diagnoses). Surgical treatment for weight regain is increasing1, but understanding weight regain physiology and how surgical treatment alters that physiology remains poorly understood.

Better understanding of weight regain physiology and MBS treatments remains critically important. Lisa R. Matero, MD, PhD, ABPP Cannabis Use after Bariatric Surgery To reveal whether patients who undergo bariatric surgery are at increased risk for developing a post-surgical cannabis use disorder and will also shed light on whether cannabis use affects post-surgical weight loss and medical comorbidities.

To guide programmatic recommendations and monitoring to help optimize outcomes for patients pursuing bariatric surgery and to support future grant applications including identifying distal and proximal predictors of cannabis use, as well as, development of technology-based interventions to reduce substance use and problematic eating behaviors to optimize weight loss outcomes.

Arthur Carlin, MD, FACS, FASMBS Cannabis Use after Bariatric Surgery To reveal whether patients who undergo bariatric surgery are at increased risk for developing a post-surgical cannabis use disorder and will also shed light on whether cannabis use affects post-surgical weight loss and medical comorbidities.

To guide programmatic recommendations and monitoring to help optimize outcomes for patients pursuing bariatric surgery and to support future grant applications including identifying distal and proximal predictors of cannabis use, as well as, development of technology-based interventions to reduce substance use and problematic eating behaviors to optimize weight loss outcomes.

Short-Term Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Systemic Inflammation in Obese Asthma To not only elucidate the immediate benefits of bariatric surgery in asthma but also achieve important insights that can better aid understanding of the mechanism by which these procedures improve the disease in obese patients.

Short-Term Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Systemic Inflammation in Obese Asthma To not only elucidate the immediate benefits of bariatric surgery in asthma but also achieve important insights that can better aid understanding of the mechanism by which these procedures improve the disease in obese patients.

Skeletal health and bariatric surgery patients To understand the metabolic and microbiome differences between obese patients with metabolic syndrome and healthy obese patients. RYGB Improves Insulin Resistance via Sirt-1 and Gas5 The liver plays a central role in obesity-induced insulin resistance and normalization of blood glucose in the immediate period following RYGB.

We sought to understand the genetic pathways which underlie resolution of insulin resistance and blood glucose levels. The Investigation of a Remotely-delivered Behavioral Intervention for Postoperative Weight Regain The objective of the study is to evaluate a newly developed Internet-delivered (via e-learning modules) acceptance-based behavioral intervention (ABTi) for individuals who are experiencing weight regain post-surgery.

We are assessing ABTi’s efficacy on stopping and/or reversing weight by comparing it to a wait-list control (WLC) condition. We are also evaluating its effect on targeted weight control behaviors and acceptance-based skills. Finally, we are examining the relationship between weight outcomes and changes in process variables through exploratory analyses.

The Investigation of a Remotely-delivered Behavioral Intervention for Postoperative Weight Regain The objective of the study is to evaluate a newly developed Internet-delivered (via e-learning modules) acceptance-based behavioral intervention (ABTi) for individuals who are experiencing weight regain post-surgery. We are assessing ABTi’s efficacy on stopping and/or reversing weight by comparing it to a wait-list control (WLC) condition.

We are also evaluating its effect on targeted weight control behaviors and acceptance-based skills. Finally, we are examining the relationship between weight outcomes and changes in process variables through exploratory analyses.

Gut Microbiota and Their Xeno-Metabolites: Associations with MetabolicHealth of Women Undergoing Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass To understand the metabolic and microbiome differences between obese patients with metabolic syndrome and healthy obese patients.

Determinates of Diabetes Remission after Bariatric Surgery and the Role of Gut Hormones and Aging To evaluate the importance of the gut hormone response to age-associated diabetes remission following the two most prevalent bariatric surgery procedures performed today, laparoscopic RYGB (LRYGB) and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG).

Effects of Obesity on Airway Inflammation and Asthma Oncologic effects of morbid obesity on apoptic markers and tumor growth factors before and after roux-en-y gastric bypass and adjustable gastric banding Impact of Metabolic/bariatric surgery on diet-induced childhood obesity: implication for long-term health and offspring metabolic phenotype The goal was to investigate the impact of metabolic/bariatric surgery on childhood obesity using a rodent model.

with respect to metabolic phenotype, impact on fatty liver disease, offspring obesity, and epigenetic alterations. Effect of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy on Esophagogastric Junction Distensibility Obesity continues to be a major global healthcare challenge. Bariatric surgery has been proven as an effective and durable solution for those patients who meet the necessary criteria.

In particular, the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has emerged as an attractive option for patients who elect to undergo bariatric surgery. However, reports have demonstrated that a proportion of patients who undergo LSG go on to develop post-operative gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) despite significant weight loss, which usually contributes to decreased GERD symptoms.

Optimizing Long-term Weight Control after Bariatric Surgery The effect of sleeve gastrectomy on obesity-insued heart failure in rats We hypothesized that weight-loss independent increases in GLP-1R signaling after SG improves cardiac structure and function. Our first specific aim was to determine if SG improves cardiac morphology and function. The second aim was if SG increases cardiac GLP-1 receptor signaling and function.

Melanocortin receptor-4 function is critical for energy homeostasis changes following vertical sleeve gastrectomy To investigate whether melanocortin receptor-4 (MC4R) signaling is necessary to induce the beneficial effects following vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). This is done using a unique rat model lacking MC4R function and by investigating the outcome of VSG in humans with changes in DNA coding for MC4R.

Finally, we will also investigate whether MC4R- signaling is necessary to induce the beneficial effects following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia following gastric bypass: pathophysiology and molecular mechanism The pathophysiology of post-bypass hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia syndrome remains incompletely understood.

While excessive insulin secretion and higher incretin levels have been demonstrated, a causal role of the incretins has not been demonstrated.

Thus, a central, unanswered question is whether excessive secretion of incretins or other intestinal peptides in the postprandial state contributes causally to excessive glucose-dependent insulin secretion (incretin-dependent), or whether there is an independent contribution of cell-autonomous pancreatic β-cell hyperfunction which develops over time as a result of the post-bypass metabolic environment.

Autonomic nervous system function and novel determinants of glucose homeostasis following bariatric surgery The objective of this study was to examine the effect of weight loss (6 months post gastric bypass surgery) on autonomic nerve fiber function and determinants of insulin sensitivity (i.e., osteocalcin) in humans.

Adiponectin improves steatohepatitis in obese rats after roux-en-y gastric bypass Our project utilizes a rodent model of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) to further elucidate the pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).

Our hypothesis is that obesity is associated with inflammatory changes in the liver that lead to chronic cellular stress, liver injury, as well as fibrosis, and that Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) attenuates obesity-related hepatic abnormalities and inflammation through signaling between adiponectin and Kupffer cells.

Nutrient absorption in morbidly obese patients before and after gastric bypass surgery The role of glucagon like peptide-1 in glucose metabolism and weight loss following gastric bypass surgery Improvements in Reproductive Status Following Bariatric Surgery Obesity is associated with both increased rates of infertility and pregnancy-related complications.

Obesity is strongly correlated with derangements of many hormones involved in ovulation and in the appropriate timing of the menstrual cycle. However, there is a paucity of data concerning the interactions between reproductive hormones, adipokines (hormones produced by adipose tissue) and ovulatory function in women with extreme obesity.

In addition, very little is known about the specific changes related to reproduction that such patients may experience after bariatric surgery. Indentification of molecular markers for NASH Our long-term objectives are to identify non-invasive blood markers for NASH. We will use a molecular approach to identify lead candidate biomarkers for the inflammatory stage of NASH, i.e., steatohepatitis.

Gene expression profiling will be performed on pooled liver RNA samples from morbidly obese patients with steatohepatitis without fibrosis and morbidly obese patients with normal histology. Patients will be matched for age, gender, and major clinical features, such as co-morbid conditions, to the extent possible. Pools of RNA will consist of at least 50 patients.

Candidate genes will then be tested in RNA obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with various stages of NASH. Neurobiologic Alterations Induced by Bariatric Surgery: The Gut-Brain Axis and its Relationship to Weight Loss We believe we will have enough data to submit several manuscripts and at least one RO1 NIH grant upon completion of this study.

Including: Gut hormones and fMRI correlations (+ feeding behavior questionnaires) Gut hormones and cognitive status before and after bariatric surgery, fMRI structural imaging and cognition, fMRI functional connectivity in our participants before and after bariatric surgery, fMRI and microbiome correlations (possibly gut hormones as well) Gut hormones, fMRI and adipokines.

Ali Aminian, MD, FACS, FAXMBS Does Bariatric Surgery-Induced Shift in Gut Microbiome Provide Metabolic Benefit? Is gut microbiome involved in improvement of diabetes and NAFLD/NASH after RYGB and SG surgeries? Can change in the microbiome after RYGB and SG protect against diabetes and NAFLD/NASH in susceptible animals?

Obesity-induced diabetes – searching for a cure through bariatric surgery Utilizing an obese, diabetic rat model (Zucker zdf), the objective of the study is to evaluate glycemic changes, changes in duodenal proteomic profiles, and isolated islet responsiveness following gastric bypass, sham surgery, and pair feeding to bypass. A lean control group is also included in the study design.

The objective of proteomics is to identify key changes in protein expression (specifically downregulation of specific proteins ) after gastric bypass compared to control groups. Metabolic Surgery: The complex interplay between the gut microbiota, bile acids, L-cells and GLP-1 To understand the mechanism by which RYGB leads to improvement in glucose homeostasis both in the short and long term.

Understanding Primary Care Physician Perspectives on Severe Obesity The original objective of this study was to assess primary care physician perspectives regarding obesity as a disease and to understand how primary care physicians prioritize the management of multi-morbid patients with severe obesity.

A structured early intervention in patients with predicted poor long-term outcome following laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass/laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: a prospective randomized study.

To identify patients in the early post-operative period following laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass/sleeve gastrectomy likely to fail to progressively lose weight in expected fashion and to institute intervention and assess for its efficacy”.

Treatment of low metabolic rates and low lean body mass after bariatric surgery Following bariatric surgery, metabolic rate decreases secondary to a decrease in sympathetic activity preventing optimal weight loss. The efficacy of ephedrine and caffeine to increase metabolic rate and subsequent weight loss will be measured in a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial.

Vascular endothelium changes after bariatric surgery In this pilot study we aimed to test the hypothesis that Bariatric surgery decreases autoantibodies and increases endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) leading to improved vascular endothelial function.

Since the roles of autoantibodies and EPCs in the setting of morbidly obese patients with type 2 DM are unknown, yet potentially represent critical determinants of vascular repair, two specific sub-aims will test the related hypotheses that: a. LRYGB surgery decreases the number of autoantibodies that lead to endothelial vasculopathy.

RYGB Improves Insulin Resistance via Sirt-1 and Gas5 The liver plays a central role in obesity-induced insulin resistance and normalization of blood glucose in the immediate period following RYGB. We sought to understand the genetic pathways which underlie resolution of insulin resistance and blood glucose levels.

Surface Electromyography (EMG) as a Measure of Surgeon Muscle Fatigue During Robotic and Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgical Procedures To conduct original research comparing bariatric robotic procedures against bariatric laparoscopic bariatric procedures and the effect on surgeon fatigue and discomfort.

Evaluation of the Increased Susceptibility of Obese Pediatric Patients to SARS CoV-2 Infection To understand the role obesity contributes to COVID infection ASMBS Integrated Health Research Grants Funded by TREO Foundation This grant is given to the health care provider who demonstrates excellence in bariatric surgery research, and whose research/presentation has valuable implications for the Integrated Health professional practicing in the field.

Food cravings in the first year after Bariatric Surgery: Sleeve Gastrectomy versus Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Pain in Adversely Related to Weight Loss Maintenance Following Bariatric Surgery 2nd: William Gourash, PhD 1st: Melissa Kalarchian, PhD 2nd: Paul Lorentz, MS, RN, RD, BBA 2nd: Christopher Daigle, MD 1st: Paul Lorentz, MS, RN, RD 2nd: Nestor de la Cruz-Munoz, MD ASMBS International Grant Program Funded by TREO Foundation The ASMBS has developed this International Grant to encourage, support and acknowledge surgeons from tier two and three countries who have overcome financial hurdles and acknowledges them with a monetary gift and waived registration to the ASMBS Annual Meeting.

Abstract: Nomogram for predicting anemia 1 year after bariatric surgery in chinese patients with obesity. Abstract: Association between bariatric surgery and malignancy: A system review and meta-analysis, trends and conclusions. Dr. Zvi H.

Perry, MD, PhD Bryan Woodward Community Grants Funded by TREO Foundation The Bryan Woodward Community Grant Program was founded to support local initiatives in addressing the obesity epidemic in cities that host a Walk from Obesity. Preference is given to those who participated in the Walk from Obesity. Grants are awarded in amounts of $5,000 or less.

TREO is not currently accepting requests for this grant. Check back soon. Selected Grant Recipients BodyWorks is a program for parents and caregivers of young adolescent girls that focuses on helping girls ages nine to thirteen years and their families create healthier lifestyles.

This program was designed to educate university students on the importance of combating obesity with walking and strength training, Young people at college age are in one of the biologically best times to instill a rational and positive lifestyle habit. Children’s Center for Weight Management, Birmingham, AL. Christus Schumpert Health System Foundation, Shreveport, LA.

The Faces of Hope – Richmond, VA. Middle Tennessee State University Foundation, Nashville Orvis Risner Elementary School, Edmond, OK. The Overlake Hospital Foundation, Bellevue, WA.

Slidell, LA Memorial Hospital Foundation YMCA of Greater Des Moines