The Clinical Metabolic Physiology laboratory and the Clinical Nutrition Research Centre where A/Prof Leow works are devoted to translational and clinical research to elucidate the pathophysiological basis of metabolic disorders. The major focus of his research group is to understand the control over energy balance, neuroedocrine function and metabolism that is exerted through critical brain centres and feedback loops between key metabolic tissues and organ systems. This research group undertakes studies that encompass metabolic/ endocrine physiology, clinical nutrition, food science and clinical trials which have the collective goal of understanding better the contribution of developmental and environmental factors to the emergent pattern of metabolic disease in Singapore. A/Prof Leo's research interests include adipocyte biology, epigenetic programming in metabolic disorders, thyriod disorders, endocrine manifestationas and complications of systemic disorders, mathematical modelling of endocrine physiology and molecular endocrinology. A/Prof. Leow is also a recipient of the Clinician Scientist Award from the National Medical Research Council (NMRC) in 2015. He has over 120 publications in peer reviewed medical and scientific journals.
Publications (Selected 6 out of over 120):
1.Ang QY, Goh HJ, Cao YP, Li YQ, Chan SP, Swain JL, Henry CJ, Leow MK. A New Method of Infrared Thermography for Quantification of Brown Adipose Tissue Activation in Healthy Adults (TACTICAL): a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial. J Physiol Sci 2017; 67(3):395-406. (IF 2.165)
2.Than A, Xu S, Li R, Leow MK, Sun L, Chen P. Angiotensin type 2 receptor activation promotes browning of white adipose tissue and brown adipogenesis. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2017; 2: 17022 (IF – 5.35)
3.Dalan R, Liew HL, Assam PN, Chan SY, Siddiqui FJ, Tan AW, Chew DE, Boehm BO, Leow MK. The impact of targeted vitamin D supplementation on endothelial function in type 2 diabetes mellitus: The DIMENSION Trial. Diabetes Vasc Dis Res 2016; 13: 192-200. (IF = 2.73)
4.Than A, He HL, Chua SH, Xu D, Sun L, Leow MK, Chen P. Apelin enhances brown adipogenesis and browning of white adipocytes. J Biol Chem 2015; 290: 14679-91. (IF 4.69)
5.Sun LJ, Goh HJ, Govindharajulu P, Camps SG, Velan SS, Schaefferkoetter J, Totman J, Townsend DW, Sun L, Sze NS, Lim SC, Boehm BO, Henry CJ, Leow MK. Capsinoids activate BAT with increased energy expenditure associated with subthreshold 18F-FDG uptake in BAT-positive humans confirmed by PET scan. Am J Clin Nutr 2018 [in press] (IF=6.77)
6.Ding CM, Lim YC, Chia SY, Arcinas C, Xu SH, Lo AK, Zhao YL, Zhu DW, Shan ZH, Chen QF, Leow MK, Xu D, Sun L. De novo reconstruction of human adipose transcriptome reveals conserved lncRNAs as regulators of brown adipogenesis. Nature Comm 2018 [in press](IF=12.12)