Mikael Rydén's research involves cell and molecular biotechnologies in various cell culture systems along with clinical studies.

The adipose tissue is the most plastic organ in the human body, and its main producer of hormones. While it was previously regarded primarily as an energy-storing tissue, we now know that it plays a central role in the development of insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis in clinical conditions such as overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes, familial combined hyperlipidaemia, chronic renal failure, cancer, cachexia and polycystic ovary syndrome.