August 1, 2019 – Dr. Colette Kabrita-Bou Serhal, Chairperson of the Department of Sciences – Faculty of Natural and Applied Science (FNAS) at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) alongside her graduate student Elissar Azzi presented two talks at the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Harvard Medical School in Boston, U.S.A.
Dr. Kabrita-Bou Serhal and Azzi presented one talk each titled: “Acute Sleep Restriction Alters the Temporal Expression of Circulating Soluble Leptin Receptor in Adult Females” and “Putative Role of sOB-R in Metabolic Regulation and Energy Homeostasis: Research Prospects”, respectively. The talks covered the outcome of their original research, conducted at the NDU Sciences Laboratories, regarding the metabolic derangements associated with sleep disturbance, namely focusing on leptin-mediated pathways. Sleep deprivation is a serious worldwide concern with wide reaching socioeconomic and health issues related to it, and is linked to a number of pathologies related to the body’s capacity for energy regulation and metabolism.
Speaking on the talk, Dr. Kabrita-Bou Serhal said: “It was a great and challenging opportunity to discuss our scientific findings in front of a research group that has undertaken vast strides on the sleep research track. Suffice to say the overall positive feedback of the group was rewarding. The value of exchanging research findings was mutual; there was much interaction with the audience which was highly constructive and inspiring to our future research endeavors.”
The Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders will be providing Dr. Kabrita-Bou Serhal and Azzi with biological samples collected from human participants in a study the Division is already running, to support a future research project both professor and graduate student will be embarking on.
Presenting NDU’s original research at a leading university strengthens its position in global academia, and opens the door for further cooperation with other leading institutions in future.