The "Home Team": LSU Alum Pursues a Passion for Obesity Prevention at Pennington Biomedical

As a three-time LSU alum, Carrie Elks has some advice for aspiring researchers at LSU.

Find something that lights a fire in you and just do it, she said. When the work gets difficult, fight through it. And if you get the chance, "Play for the home team!"

Elks embodied that advice during her years studying at LSU and now as an assistant professor and researcher at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, right in her hometown of Baton Rouge.

"Louisiana is my home, and I didn't want to go anywhere else," she said. "I felt like I could still 'spread my wings' and chart my own path right here at home. So, LSU seemed like the perfect choice to do that."

Elks was recently awarded $1.4 million to explore insulin resistance and inflammation in fat cells, Pennington Biomedical research she says can provide valuable insights into obesity and how fat cells behave. The grant comes from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), along with the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).

"We use models to study a particular immune cell protein in fat—called oncostatin M—and how it orchestrates the function of the fat cell," she said. "The oncostatin M protein binds to a specific receptor on fat cells called OSMR. This receptor is unique in that, without it, animals develop obesity and use less energy. The recent grant award will allow us to follow up on some of these findings."

The LSU Days

Elks earned her undergrad and graduate degrees all at LSU—a bachelor's in dietetics, a master's in human nutrition, and a doctorate from the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, where she says she received world-class training in physiology that set her up for success in her current research.

"The training I received there, along with my clinical experience as a dietitian, has given me the knowledge base to ask specific and relevant questions about the molecular causes and consequences of obesity," she said. "The new grant is the culmination of my graduate training and clinical experience, and it is exciting to see my career come full circle."

Elks started in pre-med at LSU, but a nutrition course her sophomore year resonated with her, and she changed her major to dietetics. LSU felt like home to her, and she made the most of it.

"I went to LSU before iPhones and social media existed, which is a good thing," she said. "I enjoyed tailgating for home games, spending time at the "old" Chelsea's and the Caterie watching local bands and walking around the beautiful LSU lakes. In doing these things, I met several people I am still friends with to this day."

After graduation, she became a registered dietitian and spent four years working clinically with both dialysis and heart disease patients.

"It was working with these patients that helped me decide to go back to graduate school," she said. "I wanted to play a part in figuring out how to better treat, or even prevent, chronic diseases. In my Ph.D. program, I focused on cardiovascular disease and obesity, so moving to Pennington Biomedical was a natural next step to continue my obesity research."

Working at Pennington Biomedical

At Pennington Biomedical, Elks said, she found an exceptional, collaborative environment.

"I have had the pleasure and good fortune to work with some of the best minds in obesity research in the world," she said. "I have no doubt that the people and resources at PBRC are major contributors to my success thus far."

Elks said the funding from NIGMS and NIDDK will benefit her Matrix Biology Laboratory's project "Adipocyte cytokine signaling as a coordinator of adipose tissue function." That's the scientific title, but Elks breaks it down into more understandable terms.

The proposed project is based on a communication loop between fat cells and immune cells that was recently discovered by Elks and her team. Interruptions to this loop promote obesity and reduce function of fat tissues. The loop is governed by interactions between the protein oncostatin M, and its receptor, OSMR.

"Each body tissue is made of several types of cells that must communicate with each other to keep the tissue functioning. When cells lose their communication pathways with each other, tissues cannot function properly and diseases result.

"In my lab, we study fat tissue. Fat tissue does much more than simply storing fat—it has functions that are important to all systems in the body. The function of fat tissue depends on the communication among fat cells themselves and various immune cells in the tissue. These immune cells can help fat cells decide whether they need to store fat, release fat, or release hormones to communicate to other body systems."

The project will further explore the role of oncostatin M and OSMR and how these factors play a part in maintaining body weight.

Lessons Learned

Along her academic journey, Elks' undergrad advisor, Dr. Carol O'Neil, was particularly influential. "She was extremely supportive and always gave the best advice. She is the reason I chose to get my Ph.D.," she said.

She offers some lessons she learned and have benefited from over the years.

"Do not ever give up—research is difficult, and a lot of the time things don't work. Grant writing is difficult. Getting a Ph.D. is difficult. Just keep going," she said. "Find a mentor or mentors who can encourage and guide you and seek their advice.

"Be open to constructive criticism and alternative opinions and solutions. Remember that having a Ph.D. does not mean you know everything. Be willing to be wrong and always be teachable."

Provided by Louisiana State University