This was in my Diabetes WA Journal.

West Australian Researcher, Assistant Professor Vance Matthews, has begun work to unlock some of the mysteries behind obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Under funding support from the Diabetes Australia Research Trust, Assistant Professor Matthews' research will explore the link between a recently discovered gene and the development of type 2 diabetes.

Assistant Professor Matthews believes that when the expression of the gene is increased by weight gain, it begins to overload the body with a specialised enzyme. This enzyme starts an avalanche of further weight gain by creating metabolic dysfunction while also promoting insulin resistance and tissue inflammation. These are all contributing factors for the development of type 2 diabetes.

It is hoped that modifying the expression of the protein will reduce these contributing factors, paving the way for design of potential medications for obesity and the prevention of type 2 diabetes, possibly helping those whom lifestyle interventions have failed.