What causes obesity? The simple answer is overeating. However, that only tells part of the story. The real explanation is much more nuanced and complex. It speaks directly to a topic of increasing interest at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL)—the connections between the brain and the body. (Indeed, brain-body physiology is one of three core concentrations of CSHL’s ongoing Foundations for the Future expansion.)
Some of today’s most popular weight loss drugs work by targeting those connections. You’ve probably already heard of the diabetes medicine Ozempic and a similar treatment prescribed for weight loss, called Wegovy. Nowadays, it seems everyone has an opinion on these drugs. But how many are actually grounded in science? If you’re looking for just the facts, here’s a great place to start.
On June 1, Rockefeller University geneticist Jeffrey Friedman came to Cold Spring Harbor to speak with the CSHL Association about “Obesity Causes and Treatments.” It was a talk dedicated to present-day concerns but also steeped in history. The CSHL Association—comprised of local community members—celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Professor Friedman was here to deliver the 45th annual Dorcas Cummings Lecture as part of CSHL’s 88th Symposium on Quantitative Biology. What’s all that? As Friedman puts it, “These meetings are legendary in the field of science and have been the center of scientific discourse and communication for almost a century.”
Press play for your front-row seat.