Chaurasia receives Carver grant to further insulin-resistance research

Bhagirath Chaurasia, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, has received a three-year, $450,000 grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust. The grant will fund Chaurasia’s research program “Role of serine in development of obesity-induced insulin resistance.” Serine—a non-essential […]

Stephens earns NIDDK R01

Samuel Stephens, PhD, Associate Professor in Endocrinology and Metabolism, has been awarded a three-year, $1.3M R01 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) for his project, Defining the contribution of mitochondrial redox metabolism to support proinsulin folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Stephens is working with two co-investigators from the […]

Fraternal Order of Eagles Investiture Ceremony

“It’s a funny feeling to have an endowed chair named after you when you are still alive.” E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, most-recent director of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center (FOEDRC) was present for the investiture of Kamal Rahmouni, PhD, as the the E. Dale Abel Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research […]

Blocking ceramides with fungi extract reverses diabetes, obesity, in mice

A publication earlier this month in Scientific Reports demonstrates that a key lipid metabolite may be a useful target in preventing or even reversing diabetes and many of its comorbidities. Ceramides are a characteristic of obesity, and increased accumulation of these metabolites contributes to glucose and metabolism impairments. In rodents, ceramide degradation prevented and reversed […]

Dokun, national panel update diabetes care recommendations for US Congress

In January, the National Clinical Care Commission (NCCC), a panel funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) completed its three-year mission and submitted a report updating recommendations on the care of diabetes-related complex metabolic and autoimmune diseases to the US Secretary of HHS and the US Congress. Ayotunde Dokun, MD, […]

Yorek to trial fish oil compound as treatment for diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Mark Yorek, PhD, professor in Endocrinology and Metabolism, along with his co-PI Rodica Pop-Busui, MD, PhD, University of Michigan, received a four-year, $2.6M grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. With the R01 “Effects of Fish Oil Salsalate on the Omega-3 Index and the Circulating Lipodome of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty […]

Carvour launches health equity projects with P3 funds

Martha Carvour, MD, PhD, has received a three-year, $758K grant from the University of Iowa’s Strategic Initiatives Fund (UISIF) to begin a series of campus- and community-wide projects aimed at improving equity in health science and practice (E-HSP). Funds in the UISIF are generated from the public-private partnership Iowa established in 2019 and are to […]

Chaurasia receives ADA development grant

Bhagirath Chaurasia, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, has recieved a four-year, $545,100 Junior Faculty Development Award from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The grant will fund Chaurasia’s exploration of the mechanisms by which ceramides regulate adipocyte overload. Chaurasia described his current research: Ceramides are fat molecules that accumulate in individuals […]

Decreasing ceramides reduced obesity, insulin resistance in mice

Thermogenic adipocytes are specialized cells capable of converting chemical energy into heat and regulating body temperature. However, aging and weight gain can deplete thermogenic adipocytes and increase insulin resistance. Bhagirath Chaurasia, PhD, assistant professor in Endocrinology and Metabolism, aimed to determine the mechanisms behind this correlation in a study recently published in Molecular Metabolism. “Thermogenic adipocyte quantity […]