The Center is comprised of four research cores (Adipocyte Core , Clinical and Community Research Core ,Epidemiology and Genetics Core , and Transgenic Core ) located within the Boston area. Each core provides unique expertise and facilities to investigators whose research is in the area of obesity, energy expenditure, or nutrition. The core laboratories provide expert consultation and resources in the areas of adipocytes, epidemiology and statistics, body composition, energy expenditure and genetic analyses, and transgenic animal models. The intent of the cores is to provide the opportunity for scientists to share their research interests and activities, to learn new methods in this area of research and, in turn, to attract other established or new investigators to the area of obesity research.