Technology

Brown fat plays a major role in human metabolism.
There is currently no tool to robustly assess its quantity and activity.

What is brown fat?

Brown fat (also called “brown adipose tissue” or “BAT”) is a special kind of fat in the body that plays a critical role in regulating energy balance. Unlike white fat, which stores energy, brown fat burns calories to generate heat. This helps regulate body temperature and maintain overall energy homeostasis.

Healthy brown fat helps burn excess calories, which can aid in maintaining a healthy weight. It is activated during cold exposure to generate heat and helps keep the body warm. Additionally, it plays a role in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, which is important for maintaining a balanced metabolism and overall health.

ImageBAT® Imaging body fat  to save lives

Besides helping regulate body temperature, brown fat also plays a role in burning excess calories and may aid in controlling blood sugar and fat metabolism, which is important for overall health and could have potential in treating obesity and metabolic diseases

The ability to detect and measure brown fat activity provides invaluable insights into a patient’s metabolic health and disease, Enabling a transformative approach to personalized medicine. Whether in the context of cancer, obesity/diabetes, or ALS, understanding the role of brown fat in energy expenditure and metabolism leads to more effective treatment strategies, improved patient care, and ultimately, better patient outcomes.

ImageBAT® is at the forefront of personalized healthcare, helping clinicians make more informed decisions and optimize treatment plans based on the individual metabolic profile of each patient. As research continues to uncover the many ways in which brown fat impacts disease, our technology will play a key role in improving care and outcomes for millions of patients worldwide.

Brown Fat in Cancer

Recent studies have shown that brown fat is not only important for maintaining a healthy metabolic state but also plays a significant role in cancer progression and treatment outcomes …

Brown Fat in Cancer

Recent studies reveal that brown fat is not only essential for maintaining healthy metabolism, but also plays a pivotal role in cancer progression and treatment outcomes.

Many cancer patients develop hypermetabolism, a condition in which the body burns calories at an unusually high rate. This is often driven by abnormal activation of brown fat and the conversion of white fat into “beige fat.” Hypermetabolism is closely linked to cancer recurrence, tumor progression (1), and cachexia — a severe wasting syndrome characterized by extreme weight and muscle loss (2). Research shows that heightened brown fat activity significantly contributes to this increased energy expenditure, further accelerating disease progression and worsening patient health.

Fewer than 30% of cancer patients respond to therapy, while those who do not respond gain no curative benefit. Unfortunately, ineffective treatments are often continued for up to 2 months before disease progression is detected, delaying crucial changes in care. This lag highlights the urgent need for tools that can identify non-responders early, allowing for more personalized and effective treatment strategies.

Both hypermetabolism and cachexia have been shown to negatively impact responses to cancer therapy. Multiple studies demonstrate that brown fat activity — by driving calorie burning and hypermetabolism — can predict treatment outcomes and survival in cancer patients (3–5).

A deeper understanding of these metabolic changes could empower clinicians to better predict which patients will benefit from immunotherapy, enabling tailored interventions that address abnormal energy expenditure and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Chu K, Bos SA, Gill CM, Torriani M, Bredella MA. Brown adipose tissue and cancer progression. Skeletal Radiol. 2020 Apr 1; 49(4):635–9. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00256-019-03322-w
Petruzzelli M, Schweiger M, Schreiber R, Campos-Olivas R, Tsoli M, Allen J, et al. A switch from white to brown fat increases energy expenditure in cancer-associated cachexia. Cell Metab. 2014 Sep 2; 20(3):433–47. Available from: https://www.cell.com/article/S1550-4131(14)00276-9/fulltext
Vazeille C, Jouinot A, Durand JP, Neveux N, Boudou-Rouquette P, Huillard O, et al. Relation between hypermetabolism, cachexia, and survival in cancer patients: a prospective study in 390 cancer patients before initiation of anticancer therapy. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 May; 105(5):1139–47. Available from: https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(22)04881-X/fulltext
Boudou-Rouquette P, Arrondeau J, Gervais C, Durand JP, Fabre E, De Percin S, et al. Development and validation of a host-dependent, PDL1-independent, biomarker to predict 6-month progression-free survival in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) patients treated with anti-PD1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in the CERTIM Cohort: The ELY study. EBioMedicine. 2021 Oct 20; 73:103630. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396421004230
Noel J, Jouinot A, Alexandre J, Ulmann G, Bretagne M, Castel-Ajgal Z, et al. Association of Energy Expenditure and Efficacy in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients Treated with Nivolumab. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jun 30; 14(13):3214. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9264847/

Brown Fat in Metabolic Disease (Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes)

Brown fat plays a role in metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. When brown fat function is impaired, it can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance, and other metabolic imbalances …

Brown fat in metabolic disease (obesity and type 2 diabetes)

Brown fat plays a crucial role in metabolic health, influencing conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. When brown fat function is impaired, the body becomes less effective at burning calories and regulating glucose, leading to weight gain, insulin resistance, and other metabolic imbalances.

In healthy individuals, brown fat actively burns calories and supports glucose metabolism. However, reduced or dysfunctional brown fat activity lowers the body’s energy expenditure, promoting the buildup of white fat and increasing the risk of insulin resistance. This decline in brown fat function is closely linked to the rising prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes worldwide. Research suggests that boosting brown fat activity can enhance glucose balance and fat burning, offering a promising therapeutic approach for these metabolic diseases (1,2).

Given these benefits, scientists are actively exploring strategies to activate brown fat —ranging from lifestyle interventions like cold exposure and exercise to novel pharmacological treatments (3). The goal is to increase brown fat activity, thereby improving calorie burning, enhancing insulin sensitivity, and supporting healthy weight management. Accurate imaging of brown fat is essential to advance the development and evaluation of these new therapies.

Cypess AM, Kahn CR. Brown fat as a therapy for obesity and diabetes. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2010 Apr; 17(2):143–9. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3593105/
Harms M, Seale P. Brown and beige fat: development, function and therapeutic potential. Nat Med. 2013 Oct; 19(10):1252–63. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/nm.3361
Singh R, Barrios A, Dirakvand G, Pervin S. Human Brown Adipose Tissue and Metabolic Health: Potential for Therapeutic Avenues. Cells . 2021 Nov ;10(11):3030. Available from: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/10/11/3030

Brown Fat in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a severe and progressive disease that affects nerve cells controlling muscle movement, leading to muscle weakness, stiffness, and eventual paralysis. ALS is often fatal, with most patients passing away within 2 to 5 years after the first symptoms appear …

Brown fat in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating, progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling muscle movement. This leads to increasing muscle weakness, stiffness, and ultimately, paralysis. ALS is often fatal, with most patients surviving only 2 to 5 years after symptom onset, and currently, there is no cure. While the precise causes of ALS remain unclear, growing evidence suggests that disruptions in energy metabolism — how the body generates and uses energy — play a key role in driving disease progression.

A major challenge in ALS is hypermetabolism, a condition in which patients burn energy at an abnormally high rate. This accelerated energy expenditure contributes to the significant weight loss and muscle wasting commonly seen in ALS. Studies indicate that 40–60% of ALS patients experience hypermetabolism (1). Importantly, those with higher metabolic rates have a markedly worse prognosis, including faster functional decline and shorter survival, compared to patients with normal energy expenditure (2,3). Furthermore, weight loss after diagnosis and decreases in body mass index are independent predictors of reduced survival (4,5). The diverse mutations associated with ALS also affect metabolic pathways in different ways, adding to the variability of disease presentation and progression.

Activation of brown fat is thought to play a key role in driving the hypermetabolic state and the muscle wasting associated with the disease. Research indicates that in ALS rodent models, brown fat activation occurs early – even before symptoms appear – and persists throughout disease progression (6). This suggests that brown fat–related hypermetabolism is among the earliest indicators of ALS development. Notably, studies have found that individuals with ALS have higher amounts of brown fat compared to healthy controls (7). These findings point to abnormal brown fat activity as a significant contributor to the hypermetabolic state observed in ALS.

Understanding the role of brown fat in hypermetabolism is critical, as meeting the elevated caloric needs of ALS patients can help slow weight loss and enhance quality of life. Early identification of patients with high brown fat activity would enable clinicians to optimize nutritional support and implement interventions before the disease progresses too far. Moreover, targeting brown fat activation presents a promising therapeutic strategy for ALS: by reducing brown fat activity, it may be possible to decrease energy expenditure, mitigate weight loss, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Burg T, Van Den Bosch L. Abnormal energy metabolism in ALS: a key player? Curr Opin Neurol. 2023 Aug; 36(4):338–45. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10328537/
Jésus P, Fayemendy P, Nicol M, Lautrette G, Sourisseau H, Preux PM, et al. Hypermetabolism is a deleterious prognostic factor in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Eur J Neurol. 2018 Jan; 25(1):97–104. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28940704/
Steyn FJ, Ioannides ZA, van Eijk RPA, Heggie S, Thorpe KA, Ceslis A, et al. Hypermetabolism in ALS is associated with greater functional decline and shorter survival. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2018 Oct; 89(10):1016–23. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6166607/
Shimizu T, Nakayama Y, Matsuda C, Haraguchi M, Bokuda K, Ishikawa-Takata K, et al. Prognostic significance of body weight variation after diagnosis in ALS: a single-centre prospective cohort study. J Neurol. 2019 Jun;266(6):1412–20. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30868220/
Goutman SA, Boss J, Iyer G, Habra H, Savelieff MG, Karnovsky A, et al. Body mass index associates with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis survival and metabolomic profiles. Muscle Nerve. 2023 Mar;67(3):208–16. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36321729/
Ciccarone F, Castelli S, Lazzarino G, Scaricamazza S, Mangione R, Bernardini S, et al. Lipid catabolism and mitochondrial uncoupling are stimulated in brown adipose tissue of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mouse models. Genes Dis. 2022 Apr 27; 10(2):321–4. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10201591/
Ito M, Matsuzaki S, Yamaguchi E, Nakashima M, Nakayama T, Naito S, et al. Brown Adipose Tissue in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. 熱帯医学 Tropical medicine. 1994 Oct 30; 36(2):43–9. Available from: https://nagasaki-u.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/25297

Technology

What is brown fat?

ImageBAT® Imaging body fat to save lives

Brown Fat in Cancer

Brown Fat in Metabolic Disease (Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes)

Brown Fat in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

ImageBAT® Imaging body fat  to save lives