Alexander R. Nectow, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Columbia University
Published in Cell, February 2025

How do we know when to stop eating? Dr. Nectow has spent his career studying how the brain controls food consumption and energy balance and how these processes impact cardiovascular function and health. In fact, his work has uncovered the existence of brain cells that help answer that exact question. 

Dr. Nectow’s research focuses on the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), a small region of the brainstem known to influence food intake and body weight. While the general function of the DRN is understood, the specific roles of many of its neurons are unclear. 

With the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA’s) prestigious Pathway to Stop Diabetes® Accelerator Award, Dr. Nectow and his team at Columbia University set out to “chase down” these cells and learn how they help regulate blood glucose (blood sugar), hunger, and other aspects of metabolism. “The Pathway award let us dive into interesting territory…and do work that would not have been funded through other traditional [research grants],” Dr. Nectow said.

Using state-of-the-art technology, he and his fellow researchers studied the brains of mice to distinguish the individual roles of the DRN’s “mosaic” of neurons. They discovered a new group of brain cells that carried molecular markers for the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK), pointing to a direct role in appetite. These so-called CCK neurons control when to stop eating in a unique way: by responding to input from the body and the senses and tracking every bite of food.

“We were able to put together a really nice story as to what these CCK neurons did, which was basically take bite-to-bite information and turn that into a decision later on to end the meal,” Dr. Nectow explained.

His work suggests that the DRN may play a greater role in eating and weight management than previously thought. The discovery of these specialized brain cells could lead to new therapeutic targets for obesity that lower people’s risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other serious conditions. If we can find ways to manipulate how these neurons function, we could help the brain think it’s fuller after smaller meals.

The Pathway award did more than fund the Nectow Lab for several years—it helped Dr. Nectow grow as a clinician-scientist. Today, he’s both a neuroscientist and a practicing cardiologist. Treating people with heart disease informs the direction of his research in the lab, yielding insights he can bring back to the clinic.

“[The ADA’s Pathway award] completely changed the course of my career,” Dr. Nectow said. “It simply wouldn’t have been possible to do all of this without the support of the ADA, generous donors, and others involved in funding and supporting the program.”