Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR)

Translational Hormone Research - THR

Bally Lab

Ongoing Projects

  • Brain Food project: The project uses functional imaging, decision-making tasks and collection of food shopping data to investigate how eating behavior and food preferences change after bariatric surgery. The findings will be used to better understand the regulation of eating behavior in obesity and to derive new approaches for prevention and treatment.
  • CaPrO project:This project investigates how a carbohydrate-reduced diet changes the human metabolism. In particular, its effects on liver fat, abdominal fat, insulin resistance and the intestinal flora will be investigated. Moreover, we investigate the effects of carbohydrate restriction on the immune metabolism. The combination of state-of-the-art metabolic measurement methods with techniques from basic research enables comprehensive findings that should directly benefit people with obesity. In this way, the development of diabetes can be reduced or prevented by means of personalized diets.
  • CLAB study: In this study, we are investigating the safety and practicality of fully automated insulin therapy (also called "artificial pancreas") compared to standard insulin therapy during and after complex abdominal surgery in hospital. The technology mimics the function of the healthy pancreas and consists of a sensor that continuously measures blood sugar levels, an insulin pump and an application installed on a smartphone. The application receives the readings from the sensor and calculates the required insulin dosage, which then is automatically administered via the insulin pump. The result is effective blood sugar control without additional injections
  • DEEP project: The project is conducted in close collaboration with national and international experts and implements state-of-the-art techniques to study metabolism (e.g. metabolic imaging with stable isotopes and mathematical modelling of glucose metabolism). The findings will be used to better understand and treat postprandial hypoglycaemia.
  • Dietcoach: Food choices at the supermarket have a critical impact on daily food intake and could be, amongst others, a target for promotion to a healthier lifestyle. With the increasing use of digital payments and loyalty cards, digital receipts of food purchases can serve as a novel s tool to monitor food choices. Based on this data, individualised and adapted targets and product recommendations are generated, which can be used in nutritional counselling and contribute to improving nutritional behaviour.
  • PNA study: The “Personal Nutrition Advisor” (PNA) entails an automated model for weight prediction and provides individualised and actionable insights into the dietary behaviour. Using photos of consumed meals, weight and activity records, the PNA provides personalised recommendations to reach and maintain the individual’s target weight.
  • Prado study: We want to examine the effects of prolactin on the release of steroid hormones, especially androgens of the adrenal gland. For this purpose, we are examining patients who have a prolactinoma - a tumor of the pituitary gland. This tumor secretes high concentrations of prolactin, which gives us the opportunity to examine the effect of prolactin before and after treatment of the prolactinoma.
  • SMASH study: In this study, we evaluate whether a simplified meal management can achieve similar blood glucose control as when the exact estimate is used in patients with Type 1 Diabetes.
  • SuMMIT study: In this study, we investigate the efficacy of automated image-based carbohydrate counting on glucose control in patients with Type 1 Diabetes using a hybdrid-closed loop system.
  • AI Code project: The aim is to integrate clinical knowledge from diabetes experts and metabolic findings from continuous glucose systems into an artificial intelligence that provides clinicians with personalized strategies for treatment optimization for patients with Type 2 Diabetes.