Lay summary
The number of New Zealanders affected by the cardiometabolic disease is projected to nearly double in next decade, exacerbating already existing health inequities in Māori and Pacific people. In Aotearoa, diabetes with cardiovascular diseases causes the highest number of deaths per year. Over two-thirds of diabetic patients have hypertension where sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) is observed elevated, which offers a potential common target for improving the outcome for these patients. Recent studies discovered that carotid bodies (CB) become very active in cardiometabolic disease. The CB senses metabolic signals and causes increases in SNA, whereas their removal lowers SNA, blood sugar, blood pressure. We have discovered two novel receptors within the CB play a crucial role in metabolic disorders. We hypothesize that selectively targeting these receptors causes reductions in blood glucose and SNA in novel rodent models, which eventually advance our understanding of the mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for cardiometabolic disease.