Research
Overview
Our research is dedicated to deepening the understanding of how nerve cells regulate food intake under both normal physiological conditions and in the presence of disease. Our overarching goal is to investigate and identify the components and pathways within the central nervous system that mediate anorexia (loss of appetite), nausea, vomiting (emesis), and weight loss in pre-clinical models. We focus on understanding how these symptoms manifest in various diseases and, importantly, how they can be prevented, with special emphasis on chronic conditions such as cancer and diabetes.
Our research methods involve in vivo experiments in pre-clinical models including rats, mice and musk shrews.
Selected Publications
2026:
Gao SX, Borner T. (2026) One receptor, two opposite approaches: efficacy and tolerability of GIPR agonism and antagonism in obesity pharmacotherapy. Appetite; 227:108723.
Fischer SL, Borner T. (2026) Beyond GLP-1: Amylin-based pharmacotherapy and the search for better-tolerated weight-loss drugs. Pharmacol Res; 232:108382.
Bashaw AG, Roman-Ortiz C, Gao SX, Schier LA, Borner T, Kanoski SE. (2026) Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Signaling in Learning and Memory: Evidence, Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Implications. Biol Psychiatry; in press.
Gao SX, Décarie-Spain L, Gu C, Mazzini G, Kanoski SE, Borner T. (2026) GLP-1 at the Metabolic-Cognitive Interface: Reward, Affect, and Memory. Compr Physiol; 16(2):e70129.
Borner T, Pataro AM, Curtis GR, Alonso B, Hu J, Fortin SM, Koul-Tiwari R, Hughes E, Kong JX, Jordan E, Barnes R, Bernardo B, Gardner M, Ma W, Gosset JR, Esquejo RM, Fortin J-P, De Jonghe BC, Bence KK, Hayes MR. (2026) GIPR signaling modulates PYY-induced hypophagia and malaise in rodents. Mol Metab; 106:102334.
Borner T, Pataro AM, Doebley SA, Furst CD, White AD, Gao SX, Chow A, Sanchez-Navarro MJ, Ghidewon MY, Halas JG, Mohiby AZ, Willard FS, Grill HJ, Ai M, Samms RJ, Hayes MR, De Jonghe BC. (2025) Hypophagia and body weight loss by tirzepatide are accompanied by fewer GI adverse events compared to semaglutide in preclinical models. Sci. Adv.; 11(25):eadu1589.
Borner T, Pataro AM, De Jonghe BC. (2025) Central mechanisms of emesis: A role for GDF15. Neurogastroenterol Motil; 37(3):e14886.