Latest News

October 2018 Diabetes Research Center Update

Ryan Boudreau, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiology in the Department of Internal Medicine and a member of the FOEDRC recently discovered a new protein-coding gene in the human genome  that regulates mitochondria. These studies were simultaneously published in the Journal Cell Reports at the same time as a study from a laboratory at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center that made a similar discovery.

Food Allergy Linked To Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children

Our Diabetes Center faculty are leaders in diabetes research but occasionally their research leads them to some other areas that are of broad societal interest. This is exemplified by the work of FOEDRC member Dr. Wei Bao MD Ph.D., who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, of the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health.

Targeting Mitochondrial Fission for Neuroprotection in Diabetic Neuropathy

Drs. Stefan Strack and Yuriy Usachev Professors of Pharmacology and members of the FOEDRC recently received a new grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institutes of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) entitled “Targeting mitochondrial fission for neuroprotection in diabetic neuropathy” for a total award of $1,702,888 over four years.

DRC Researchers Describe A Novel Effect of A Heart Failure Medication to Reduce Diabetes Nerve Damage

Peripheral neuropathy affects more than 50% of patients with diabetes and about 30% of subjects with pre-diabetes. There is no completely effective treatment for this complication of diabetes. 

Technology Developed By DRC Researcher Could Preserve Vision for Diabetes Patients

University of Iowa Health Care patients are the first in the nation to have access to a new technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose diabetic retinopathy.

The technology, known as IDx-DR, is the only medical device authorized by the Food and Drug Administration that uses AI for the autonomous detection of diabetic retinopathy. The device’s algorithm makes the diagnosis based on imaging of the patient’s retina without the need for an eye specialist to interpret the results.

DRC Investigators Continue To Excel In Research

DRC Director's Report - May 2018

This month I feature two additional grant awards that have been received by faculty members in the FOEDRC.

Dr. Lira Vitor, Assistant Professor in Health and Human Physiology and member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Center and the Obesity Research and Education Initiative at the University of Iowa, received an American Heart Association (AHA) Scientist Development Grant.  This 3-year $308,000 award is for a project entitled, Molecular insights into the exercise-mediated protection against diabetic cardiomyopathy. 

FOE DRC Investigators Continue To Excel In Research

Faculty members in the FOEDRC continue to excel in their ability to obtain competitive extramural funding for their research projects. In this month’s newsletter I will highlight new grant awards obtained by two of our members and next month I will feature another two.

Dr. Julien Sebag, Assistant Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and member of the FOEDRC was recently awarded a 5-year $1.9M grant from the NIDDK for a project entitled: Investigating the requirement of MRAP2 for ghrelin function.

DRC Researcher Sah Awarded Grant From ADA

Rajan Sah, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine Cardiology Division and member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center was recently awarded a Research Grant from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The project entitled: SWELL1 regulation of ß-cell excitability and insulin secretion will be supported by the $345,000 award over the next three years. Also, this leading edge experimentation was published in the January issue of Nature Communication.

Technology Developed By DRC Enhances Detection of Eye Disease in Diabetics

DRC Director's Report, February 2018

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a complication of diabetes, is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the developed world, and it is one of the most feared complications for people with diabetes. In the US, at least 25,000 people with diabetes go blind every year from this almost entirely preventable disease, and there are 25 million Americans with diabetes at risk for the disease, projected to increase to 50 million over the next 10 years. There is extensive proof that an annual eye exam to detect the retinopathy early and treat it before the onset of symptoms can prevent almost all permanent visual loss, unfortunately the annual eye exam is expensive and access may be difficult.

American Diabetes Association Supports FOEDRC Researchers

DRC Director's Report - January 2018

Three researchers from the FOEDRC received new grants from the American Diabetes Association for groundbreaking research. The ability of our members to receive these competitive awards is truly remarkable and underscores the quality and rigor of the research that is being conducted in the FOEDRC. There are few institutions that received multiple awards in this current round of ADA funding.  The awards to Drs. Ling Yang, Rajan Sah and Adam Rauckhorst are summarized below.