Zaccheaus “Zack” Wallace, a current doctoral student at Vanderbilt University and former Mississippi INBRE Research Scholar, has contributed to groundbreaking research in body fat growth modeling that could one day help address Mississippi’s obesity epidemic.

Obesity is a deeply-rooted issue in Mississippi and across the United States. According to the World Obesity Observatory, the U.S. ranks among the most obese countries in the world, with more than 40% of adults affected. Mississippi frequently tops the national charts for obesity rates, a health crisis that impacts communities statewide. It’s this urgent problem that inspired Wallace and his team to explore better ways to study body fat development—and ultimately, discover new strategies to combat it.

Wallace, a Jackson native and graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi, participated in the Mississippi INBRE Research Scholars program in 2022. The program offers Mississippi undergraduates hands-on experience in biomedical research. During his time in the program, Wallace worked under the mentorship of Dr. Amol Janorkar, Professor of Biomedical Materials Science at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), contributing to research that has now gained international recognition.

The team recently published their findings in Bioengineering, a respected peer-reviewed journal, which featured their study as the cover story of its latest March issue. Their research offers a more stable and effective method for modeling body fat development in the lab—a promising step toward deeper understanding and treatment of obesity.

Wallace, seated, conducts research in the lab of his former faculty mentor, Dr. Tristan Clemons, during his time as a student at USM. 

To understand how fat grows and behaves in the human body, scientists rely on lab models that mimic natural fat cell development. One of the best ways to do this is by cultivating 3D clusters of fat stem cells. These clusters resemble real fat tissue but are notoriously fragile and often break apart during routine media changes—essential steps in cell culture that can compromise weeks of work.

Dr. Janorkar’s team discovered that adding a small protein segment known as RGD, which promotes cell adhesion, significantly improved the stability of these clusters during media changes. The result is a more reliable model for studying fat cell development—paving the way for innovative therapies aimed at reducing obesity.

“Obesity is a prevalent disease worldwide, and current therapies have significant limitations,” said Wallace. “Our study provides a platform that can be used to better understand obesity at the molecular and cellular level, an important step forward in improving those therapies.”

Wallace, left, practices lab techniques at The University of Southern Mississippi while training as a Mississippi INBRE Research Scholar.

Wallace is hopeful that their breakthrough will make a real impact, especially in regions like Mississippi and the broader South, where obesity rates are highest.

“The future is exciting to think about,” he said. “The work done in this study was an advancement to the field, and the possibility for further advances is exciting. These are essential as there is a growing prevalence of obesity in the nation—especially in the South.”

Now a first-year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt, Wallace credits the Mississippi INBRE Research Scholars program for launching his research career.

“My time as a Research Scholar was my first professional research experience. Their training regarding proper PPE use, aseptic technique, and laboratory notebook maintenance were essential to my success,” he shared. “The faculty and staff of Mississippi INBRE supported me and provided an example of how to be a good researcher and scientist. It showed me that my passion is to continue doing impactful research to help others.”

Today, Wallace is conducting research in cancer vaccines—another promising frontier in biomedical science. Looking ahead, he hopes to build a career in industry research, where he can continue working on innovations that improve human health.

The Mississippi IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is a network of colleges and universities, designed to build a biomedical research infrastructure in Mississippi. Our mission is to engage talented researchers and students in biomedical research projects that will increase Mississippi’s research competitiveness and advance public health throughout the state.