Beige fat is gaining therapeutic interest due to its potential in combating obesity and other diseases. Starting from single clone analysis, Zhao et al. discovered that androgen receptor (AR) turns out to be a highly potent transcription factor in suppression of PRDM16, the key molecular switch in beige fat. The study led by Prof. Hannah Hui provides new insight in explaining the sex difference in beige fat activity in human, and sheds light on sex hormone-related therapies.

The findings have been published in Advanced Science in May 2023:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/advs.202300070