2026 News Feed
Researchers Examine Unanticipated Benefits of GLP-1 Medications
GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual agonists have transformed the treatment of obesity and other metabolic diseases, and a new editorial co-authored by Dr. Steven Heymsfield of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Dr. Adam Gilden of the University of Colorado examines what scientists are learning as these medications reach millions of people.
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Pennington Biomedical and Minnesota HealthSolutions Awarded NIH Grant to Develop Digital Driving Safety Platform for Teens with ADHD
Dr. Jeffrey Keller, Hibernia National Bank/Edward G. Schleider Endowed Chair at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Sara Seifert, president of Minnesota HealthSolutions, have received a new National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award to develop an innovative digital health platform that will help parents support teenagers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as they learn to drive. Teen drivers with ADHD represent one of the highest risk groups for motor vehicle crashes.
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New Approach to Obesity Classification Could Better Guide Treatment Decisions
A new approach to defining obesity could help physicians better determine which patients need more intensive treatment by focusing on the effects of excess adiposity on organs and tissues rather than relying primarily on whether a person meets a set of metabolic risk thresholds.
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Dr. Jennifer Rood Selected for Inaugural Leadership Louisiana Health Fellows Class
Dr. Jennifer Rood, Interim Senior Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, has been selected as a member of the inaugural Leadership Louisiana Health Fellows class.
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Pennington Biomedical Men's Health Summit 2026 Coming Aug. 22
Registration is now open for the 2026 Pennington Biomedical Men’s Health Summit, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 22. Presented by FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake and hosted by Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, the free summit is available to all over the age of 18.
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Topline Results from LiBBY Trial Show THC/CBD Combination Significantly Reduces Agitation for People with Dementia at End of Life
A combination of CBD and THC rapidly and significantly reduces agitation in hospice-eligible people with dementia, suggest topline results from the Phase 2 LiBBY (Life’s End Benefits of cannaBidiol and tetrahYdrocannabinol) clinical trial. The findings were reported for the first time at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2026 in London and online.
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Proven Childhood Obesity Treatment Also Works at Pediatrician’s Office
Childhood obesity affects one in five children in the U.S., yet most families have limited access to specialized weight-management programs for children. Now, a large clinical trial led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the University of Rochester Medical Center, LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has shown that an effective, family-based treatment model can be delivered in primary care settings to treat children and adolescents with obesity.
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Biomarker Discovery Could Advance Treatments for Obesity-Related Health Risks
Researchers have identified a biological marker that rises and falls as body fat changes, offering new insight into how weight gain and weight loss may influence metabolic health.
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Pennington Biomedical Researchers to Present, Receive Honors at NUTRITION 2026
Researchers from LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center will join thousands of nutrition scientists and professionals from around the world at NUTRITION 2026, the annual flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, or ASN, taking place July 25–28 in National Harbor, Maryland. The meeting will be a particularly significant one for Pennington Biomedical, with researchers receiving major honors from ASN. Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Kaja Falkenhain will receive the Peter J. Reeds Early Career Investigator Award, while Dr. John Apolzan and Dr. Leanne Redman will be recognized as 2026 Excellence in Nutrition Fellows. In addition, Dr. Stephanie Waldrop and Dr. Stephen Hennigar served on the Program Planning Committee for NUTRITION 2026.
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Pennington Biomedical Earns Fifth NIH Renewal for Nationally Recognized Nutrition Obesity Research Center, One of Only 11 in the Nation
LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center has received a five-year, $5.66 million renewal of its Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The award, totaling $5,659,389, extends support for the Pennington-Louisiana Nutrition Obesity Research Center through 2031 and reaffirms Pennington Biomedical's position as a national leader in nutrition, obesity and metabolic health research.
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