Pennington Biomedical Q&A: Dr. Timothy Allerton

June 2, 2025 · Baton Rouge, LA

Dr. Timothy Allerton’s research on a growing cardiovascular condition was named Publication of the Year at Pennington Biomedical Research Center 

 Timothy Allerton, PhD, is an assistant professor of vascular metabolism at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. He is a licensed clinical exercise physiologist. During his postdoctoral fellowship, also at Pennington Biomedical, Dr. Allerton developed a strong interest in the link between vascular function and metabolism. In May, several research data posters, presentations, and publications were evaluated by Pennington Biomedical faculty, with Dr. Allerton’s publication “Exercise Therapy Rescues Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction and Exercise Intolerance in Cardiometabolic HFpEF” selected as the Publication of the Year among those produced by peers and colleagues. 
 
Dr. Allerton recently participated in a Pennington Biomedical Q&A, explaining the motivations behind his research, the importance of his lab’s ongoing efforts, and his advice for up-and-coming researchers. 

Q: What first sparked your interest in studying exercise therapy and cardiometabolic disease? Why cardiometabolic HFpEF in particular?

A: Early in my career, I worked as a clinical exercise physiologist treating patients with cardiovascular disease. This experience gave me a deep appreciation for the importance of cardiovascular and respiratory fitness, and of exercise to improve outcomes for individuals with heart failure. In recent years, the obesity epidemic has dramatically altered how heart failure can affect your health, including the growing prevalence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF. In HFpEF, the heart struggles to relax properly between beats, and what makes this condition unique is that nearly every organ system—including skeletal muscle, kidneys, and liver—is both affected by and contributes to the disease process. It has now become the most common form of heart failure in the United States. 

 Patients with HFpEF suffer from significantly reduced quality of life, frequent hospitalizations, and, most alarmingly, nearly 50 percent die within five years of diagnosis. The hallmark symptom is exercise intolerance, characterized by severe shortness of breath and fatigue during routine daily activities such as housework or grocery shopping. Emerging research suggests that skeletal muscle dysfunction may account for more than 50 percent of this exercise intolerance – a major paradigm shift from the traditional view that cardiac dysfunction is solely responsible. My research on skeletal muscle and vascular metabolism positioned my lab to uncover the root causes driving exercise intolerance in HFpEF.

Q: For those outside the medical world, can you give a simple explanation of what your study found?

A: While we know that regular exercise helps patients with HFpEF feel better and move more easily, we haven’t fully understood why it works.

The main takeaway is that, in people with HFpEF, the major reason for fatigue and exercise intolerance may not be the heart, but rather poor energy use in the muscles. And importantly, exercise can address this issue by improving muscle metabolism. These findings could help shape new treatments that target the muscles and metabolism – not just the heart – to help people with HFpEF feel better and live longer.

Q: Are you continuing this line of research or branching into something new? 
 
A: HFpEF is widely regarded as the greatest unmet need in cardiovascular medicine. As such, our lab remains committed to addressing this critical challenge through two main areas of focus: first, uncovering the fundamental mechanisms underlying the development of HFpEF, and second, advancing novel therapeutic strategies to treat exercise intolerance. 

HFpEF is a serious and growing health concern, with diagnoses rising steadily. Yet, no specific treatment has been approved, and no clinical trial to date has demonstrated a reduction in overall mortality. We believe this represents a unique opportunity for our team at Pennington Biomedical to make a meaningful and lasting impact – both in the field of cardiometabolic research and in the lives of patients affected by this debilitating condition.

Q: What advice would you give to early-career researchers who want to make an impact with their work?

A: So much of your career will be shaped by how you respond to the most pressing challenges of our time. The greatest advances often arise when people with unique skills, backgrounds, and perspectives bring their creativity to address the biggest, most complex problems. Whether it’s heart failure, Alzheimer’s disease, or cancer – find the spaces where the need is greatest, where the questions remain unanswered, and where the stakes are high.