Climate change is producing a dual effect: while global temperatures are rising on average, humans are becoming more vulnerable to cold due to reduced natural exposure and adaptation. At the same time, extreme cold events are becoming more frequent and intense. Each year, an estimated 4.5 million deaths are linked to cold exposure, accounting for 8.5% of global mortality.
In addition, cold-related health issues such as hypothermia and frostbite lead to thousands of hospital admissions annually, with the U.S. alone spending over $2 billion on related treatments.
Despite this major public health problem, no pharmacological compound currently exists to delay the onset of hypothermia or enhance cold resilience.
The aim of this project is to address that gap by identifying compounds that delay the onset of hypothermia and reduce the adverse health risks of cold exposure. To achieve this, we have established a mouse model of hypothermia induced by moderate cold exposure, and we are now developing a complementary controlled moderate cold-water exposure model to further evaluate the efficacy of oral supplementation strategies.
