Three diabetes-related research projects at Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota received more than $1.8 million through a state-funded research initiative for preventing, treating and curing diabetes.
Decade of Discovery is an initiative of the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics, a collaboration between the university, the clinic and the state of Minnesota. It was formed last year and today announced three new grant recipients.
The first project targets obesity, the greatest risk factor for type 2 diabetes. University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic researchers who want to develop an anti-obesity drug received $875,000 to explore new molecular targets for the drug. They’re currently working with the peptide TLQP-21, which was recently shown to prevent obesity in mice by increasing fat decomposition and decreasing the size of fat cells.
A second project using mice with human HLA alleles to test drug efficacy and safety before human trials won $486,368. Researchers are looking for ways to make insulin-specific T cells, which have been shown to cure type 1 diabetes in mice, more tolerant and keep them from destroying insulin-producing beta cells.
Researchers who received the final $500,000 award are developing a specialized electronic chip sensor that can transmit data wirelessly and function in more locations in the body, improve glucose monitoring as part of the artificial pancreas being developed by Mayo Clinic.
Minnesota is a likely target for diabetes-related research; in addition to the clinic and the university, it’s home to Medtronic, which is regarded as the leader in developing the artificial pancreas, and EnteroMedics, a company developing innovative devices for obesity, among others.
