Principal Investigator: Karen Herbst, PhD, MD

Institution: University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson

LF Funding History: 2015 Collaborative Award

LF Collaborations:

• Bruce Bunnell, Tulane University

• Carrie Shawber, Columbia University

• Eva Sevick-Muraca, UTHSC Houston

• Ingrid Harten, Benaroya Research Institute

• Manus Donahue, Vanderbilt University

• Melody Swartz and Lev Becker, University of Chicago

• Philipp Scherer, UTSouthwestern

Related News:

• Lipedema: friend or foe

Research Updates:

• Fat Therapy Reduces Fat in Lipedema and Dercum Disease

• Vascular Finding in the Skin and SAT in Lipedema

• Research Primer and Gait Study Update

Project: Former Treatment, Research and Education of Adipose Tissue (TREAT) Program

Established with a $1.5M gift from the Lipedema Foundation, the former TREAT Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine was the first of its kind multi-disciplinary group focused on lipedema and all adipose tissue disorders (ATDs). The program involved exceptional imaging programs, collaborative faculty, and leveraged state-of-the-art facilities including the University of Arizona Biorepository, in an effort to find a cure for all ATDs.

A person with an ATD has abnormal fat tissue that is generally non-responsive to caloric restriction, over-activity, or bariatric surgery. The lack of belief in this resistant fat and the prevalence of obesity and fibromyalgia in the general population have contributed to the limited recognition and treatment of ATDs. To address these challenges, the TREAT Program focused on three main objectives:

1. Treatment - Find new treatment modalities for ATDs

2. Research - Examine genes and gene expression important in lipedema subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT); Use state-of-the-art imaging to visualize the palpable, grainy, pearl-sized, walnut, or fist-sized granules of lipedema SAT; Assess the levels of vascularity and inflammation of lipedema SAT

3. Educate - Train current physicians and future generations of healthcare providers to recognize, understand, and provide care for people with ATDs