Kanishka Nilaweera
Research OfficerResearch Interests
The prevalence of obesity has risen dramatically over the past century, affecting 1 in 8 people in the world in 2022. I am interested in understanding the mechanisms that drive weight gain and obesity development. By gaining deeper insight into these processes, we aim to design dietary interventions that can prevent or reduce excessive weight gain. In particular, our research focuses on how different macronutrients influence the communication between the gut and its resident microbes, as well as key internal tissues such as adipose tissue—where fat is stored—and brain, which together regulate body weight.
Current Projects
Education
- 2023: Graduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership, Dublin City University, Ireland.
- 1998-2002: Ph.D. Neuroscience, University of Aberdeen, UK.
- 1993-1998: BSc Upper Second Class (Division 1) Honours in Genetics, University of Aberdeen, UK
View publications by Kanishka Nilaweeraiew
Kanishka N. Nilaweera*, Douwe van Sinderen, Paul D. Cotter. A Systematic Review to Reassess the Formula for Early Life Growth. Advances in Nutrition. 2026 (in press: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2026.100660)
Nilaweera KN*, Nychyk O., McCarthy W, Moreira L, Purfield D, Cormican P, Santos A, Tobin J, Speakman JR, Berry D, Brennan L., Cotter PD. The sex dependent and independent effects of dietary whey proteins are passed from the mother to the offspring. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 2024: 68(23);e2400584.
Nilaweera KN* and Cotter PD. Can dietary proteins selectively reduce either the visceral or subcutaneous adipose tissues?. Obesity reviews, 2023:24 (11); e13613.
Nychyk O, Barton W, Rudolf AM, Boscaini S, Walsh A, Bastiaanssen TFS, Giblin L, Cormican P, Chen L, Piotrowicz Y, Davina Derous , Áine Fanning, Xiaofei Yin, Jim Grant, Silvia Melgar, Lorraine Brennan, Sharon E Mitchell, John F Cryan , Jun Wang , Paul D Cotter, John R Speakman, Kanishka N Nilaweera*. Protein quality and quantity influence the effect of dietary fat on weight gain and tissue partitioning via host-microbiota changes. Cell Report, 2021: 35(6);109093.
Sarina Kajani , Sean Curley, Marcella E O’Reilly, Xiaofei Yin, Eugene T Dillon, Weili Guo, Kanishka N Nilaweera, Lorraine Brennan , Helen M Roche, Fiona C McGillicuddy. Sodium salicylate rewires hepatic metabolic pathways in obesity and attenuates IL-1β secretion from adipose tissue: The implications for obesity-impaired reverse cholesterol transport. Mol Metab. 2022;56:101425. doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2021.101425.
Nychyk O, Barton W, Rudolf AM, Boscaini S, Walsh A, Bastiaanssen TFS, Giblin L, Cormican P, Chen L, Piotrowicz Y, Davina Derous , Áine Fanning, Xiaofei Yin, Jim Grant, Silvia Melgar, Lorraine Brennan, Sharon E Mitchell, John F Cryan , Jun Wang , Paul D Cotter, John R Speakman, Kanishka N Nilaweera*. Protein quality and quantity influence the effect of dietary fat on weight gain and tissue partitioning via host-microbiota changes. Cell Report, 2021, 11;35(6):109093.
Boscaini S, Cabrera-Rubio R, Speakman JR, Cotter PD, Cryan JF, Nilaweera KN*. Dietary α-lactalbumin alters energy balance, gut microbiota composition and intestinal nutrient transporter expression in high-fat diet-fed mice. British Journal of Nutrition. 2019;121(10):1097-1107.
Gough R, Cabrera Rubio R, O’Connor PM, Crispie F, Brodkorb A, Miao S, Hill C, Ross RP, Cotter PD, Nilaweera KN, Rea MC. Oral Delivery of Nisin in Resistant Starch Based Matrices Alters the Gut Microbiota in Mice. Front Microbiol. 2018;9:1186.