SKAN Research Foundation Funds Third Phase I Project to Investigate Early Biological Risk for Anorexia Nervosa

Sarah Kyle Anorexia Nervosa Research Foundation

Carolina Makowski, PhD

Led by Dr. Carolina Makowski, the study will explore connections among genetics, metabolism, and the brain to better understand risk in adolescence

DAVIS, CA, UNITED STATES, October 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Sarah Kyle Anorexia Nervosa (SKAN) Research Foundation is proud to announce funding for its third Phase I research project, led by Carolina Makowski, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at University of California San Diego School of Medicine. The project will investigate how genetic factors linking metabolism and brain biology contribute to anorexia nervosa (AN), with the goal of identifying risk before the illness develops.

Anorexia nervosa often emerges during adolescence, a critical period for brain development. Yet the biological processes behind its onset remain poorly understood. Growing evidence suggests that both metabolic and psychiatric factors contribute to the illness. Understanding how these factors interact could help explain why some young people develop AN and identify opportunities for earlier intervention, and prevention.

Dr. Makowski’s team will combine findings from large genetic studies of anorexia nervosa, blood-based metabolic markers, and brain imaging to identify shared genes and biological pathways. Working with co-investigators at the University of Oslo, Dr. Dennis van der Meer and Dr. Ole Andreassen (University of Oslo), the team will examine how brain biology may help explain the relationship between metabolism and AN.

“We need a clearer understanding of the biology that places young people at risk for anorexia nervosa before the illness takes hold, and integrating routinely collected blood-based metabolic markers could help us get to that goal more quickly,” said Dr. Makowski. “Support from the SKAN Research Foundation will allow us to connect discoveries across genetics, metabolism, and brain development, with the long-term goal of helping identify risk earlier and finding new targets for treatment.”

The researchers will use these findings to develop a genetic risk score that incorporates information about metabolism and brain biology. They will test whether this measure improves prediction of later AN-related symptoms by examining genetic information collected in childhood alongside symptoms emerging in adolescence. The findings could help identify early signs of vulnerability and inform future approaches to prevention and treatment.

“Understanding how anorexia nervosa begins is essential to finding better ways to prevent and treat it,” said Dr. David J. Kyle, Founder of the SKAN Research Foundation. “Dr. Makowski’s research brings together key pieces of that biological puzzle. We are proud to support this work as our third Phase I project and to help advance discoveries that could make a meaningful difference for patients and families.”

The project directly advances one of SKAN’s research priorities: identifying early biological markers of anorexia nervosa. By supporting proof-of-principle studies that investigate the underlying mechanisms of the illness, the Foundation aims to turn promising scientific ideas into a foundation for more effective prevention and intervention that can change the course of the illness.

For more information about SKAN and its funded research projects, please visit www.skanrf.org.

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About SKAN: The Sarah Kyle Anorexia Nervosa Research Foundation is a California-based 501(c)(3) private foundation focused on funding innovative research on anorexia nervosa (AN). Its mission is to identify the root causes of AN and develop effective prevention and intervention strategies. We provide funding for proof-of-principle studies through targeted Requests for Proposals and expert evaluations. The Foundation’s vision is a world where no more young people are suffering and dying from the impacts of AN. For more information on the SKAN Research Foundation and its going research initiatives, please visit www.skanrf.org.

Dr. David J. Kyle
Sarah Kyle Anorexia Nervosa Research Foundation
+1 410-960-1062
dkyle@skanrf.org
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