The award was given for Dr. Kalliopi Pafili’s study titled “Visceral Adipose Tissue–Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles from Humans with MASLD Alter ER Stress and Mitochondrial Respiration in Hepatocytes,” which was conducted in collaboration with DDZ researcher Dr. Lucia Mastrototaro. The study examines small extracellular vesicles (tiny vesicles released by cells) secreted by visceral adipose tissue—that is, the abdominal fat surrounding the internal organs.
The results show that these vesicles can influence the function of liver cells: They disrupt cellular energy production and trigger stress responses that place a long-term burden on the liver and may contribute to the development and progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
A global platform for diabetes research
“Receiving this award at one of the world’s most prestigious international diabetes conferences demonstrates that the research conducted by Kalliopi Pafili and Lucia Mastrototaro provides new and important insights into the communication between visceral adipose tissue and the liver. Their findings contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic liver diseases—a key research focus at the DDZ,” emphasizes Professor Michael Roden, Scientific Director and Spokesperson for the DDZ Executive Board, as well as Director of the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology at the University Hospital Düsseldorf.
“This award means a great deal to me—it recognizes the hard work of the past few years and encourages me to continue on this research path. Our goal is to be able to prevent and treat the development of MASLD in a more targeted manner in the future,” says Pafili.
The ADA Scientific Sessions are among the world’s most important scientific conferences in the field of diabetes and metabolic diseases. The Young Investigator Award recognizes particularly innovative scientific contributions by early-career researchers.
About the person
Dr. Kalliopi Pafili, M.D., conducts research on metabolic liver diseases, obesity, and diabetes mellitus at the Institute for Clinical Diabetology of the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) under the direction of Prof. Michael Roden. She is also a specialist at the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology at the University Hospital Düsseldorf (UKD) and receives funding through the FUTURE-4-CSPMM Clinician Scientist Program at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU).
Media Contact:
German Diabetes Center
PR
Susan Jörges
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Phone: +49 (0)211 3382-450
pressestelle@ddz.de
The German Diabetes Center (DDZ) serves as the German reference center for diabetes. Its objective is to contribute to the improvement of prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus. At the same time, the research center aims at improving the epidemiological data situation in Germany. The DDZ coordinates the multicenter German Diabetes Study and is a point of contact for all players in the health sector. In addition, it prepares scientific information on diabetes mellitus and makes it available to the public. The DDZ is part of the Leibniz Association (Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, WGL) and is a partner of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.). www.ddz.de/en
The German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) is a national association that brings together experts in the field of diabetes research and combines basic research, translational research, epidemiology and clinical applications. The aim is to develop novel strategies for personalized prevention and treatment of diabetes. Members are Helmholtz Munich – German Research Center for Environmental Health, the German Diabetes Center in Düsseldorf, the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam-Rehbrücke, the Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden of Helmholtz Munich at the University Medical Center Carl Gustav Carus of the TU Dresden and the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of Helmholtz Munich at the Eberhard-Karls-University of Tuebingen together with associated partners at the Universities in Heidelberg, Cologne, Leipzig, Lübeck and Munich. www.dzd-ev.de/en
