DREADDful Insights into Activity-Dependent Sensory Nerve Plasticity in Subcutaneous White Adipose Tissue
Jake Willows joined the Townsend Neurobiology and Energy Balance Laboratory at the University of Maine in 2016 and has remained with the group for nearly a decade, including its relocation to The Ohio State University in 2020. During this time, he earned a B.S. in Biology (2018) and an M.S. in Zoology (2019). His research training has centered on the peripheral innervation of adipose tissue in the context of metabolic disease and neurodegeneration, resulting in 7 first-author publications, 9 co-authored papers, and 2 featured journal covers.
Jake entered the Neuroscience Graduate Program in Spring 2022. His dissertation investigates the mechanisms governing neuroplasticity in subcutaneous adipose tissue using sensory nerve–targeted chemogenetic approaches. This research aims to define the functional role of sensory nerves in adipose tissue, including specialized nociceptive synaptic structures known as the neuro-adipose nexus, which he identified early in his doctoral studies. Ultimately, his research seeks to inform the development of preventative and restorative therapies for small-fiber peripheral neuropathies. Jake’s dissertation research was supported by the OSU Presidential Fellowship.