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May 27, 2022
Congratulations to Diabetes Department Professor Karin Jandeleit-Dahm, Dr. Muthukumar Mohan and Dr. Carlos Rosado, who have received funding under the Australia Diabetes Research Program 2022 (DARP).
Recipients of the Department of Diabetes were among Victoria’s 31 researchers, including eight from Monash University, who this year awarded more than $ 2 million under DARP.
Professor Jandeleit-Dahm and Professor Bayden Wood (School of Chemistry) will work on a project developing a hand-held, matchbox-sized infrared spectrometer that measures early markers of kidney disease directly in urine samples via of a container. “This is a very successful collaboration between the Diabetes Department and the Center for Biospectroscopy, as well as the Monash Computer Department (Professor David Taniar and Associate Professor Michael Wybrow),” said Professor Jandeleit-Dahm.
Researchers also received a $ 20,000 ADS-AstraZeneca diabetes research grant to fund the device’s initial technical setup.
Dr. Muthukumar Mohan’s project will explore the resolving actions of a family of specialized resolution mediators called lipoxins (LX), which are produced in our body to regulate the inflammatory pathways against atherosclerosis and heart failure. . “This project will be completed in collaboration with Professor Catherine Godson of University College Dublin. The use of these agents is a new paradigm shift approach to treating patients in clinics with inflammatory diseases, including diabetes, “said Dr. Mohan.
Dr. Carlos Rosado will conduct a study with hypoglycemic peptides that also show beneficial results for heart and kidney disease. “This work by the Diabetes Department is potentially exciting not only for people living with diabetes, but also for those with heart or kidney disease,” Dr. Rosado said.
Victoria Diabetes CEO Craig Bennett said: “Each year, the most outstanding projects covering a range of basic, clinical, psychosocial and diabetes-related research are selected on merit and supported in an orderly manner. of about $ 70,000 each to continue their research.
“Each research project to receive funding can be a vital key to future development or advancement, which can help make a real difference in many lives.”
Diabetes is now the fastest growing chronic disease in Victoria.
“Nearly 370,000 Victorians live with diabetes and an estimated 125,000 more live with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes,” Bennett said.
The three projects:
Professor Jandeleit-Dahm – “Early detection of the point of attention of renal disease by infrared spectroscopy”.
The device allows a quick and economical assessment of kidney damage by delivering the results in real time to the healthcare worker or patient in a smartphone app. It will be validated in clinical cohorts including the indigenous population. Faster and more comfortable detection of kidney damage will allow for earlier and more effective treatment and ultimately reduce the burden of kidney disease on diabetes.
Dr. Muthukumar Mohan – “A pro-resolution approach as a new interventionist treatment for vascular complications of diabetes.”
Unresolved chronic inflammation is recognized as a key factor in the complications of diabetes, particularly diabetes-associated atherosclerosis. In recent years, a family of endogenously produced bioactive molecules called pro-resolution mediators (SPMs) has generated much interest due to their ability to resolve inflammation in a number of inflammatory diseases such as diabetes. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and Kaposi’s sarcoma. . Using unique reagents from University College Dublin, our laboratory will evaluate for the first time the favorable pharmacological properties for the resolution of one of these SPMs, A4 lipoxin (LXA4) and a related mimetic (CT4-43 and KG522), in a diabetes mouse model. to determine its cardioprotective effects.
Dr. Carlos Rosado – “Exploring the Intracrine Effects of GLP-1 Peptides”.
GLP-1 peptides lower glucose levels, but also cause improvements in cardiovascular outcomes and renal function by mechanisms likely related to mitochondria and protection against the generation of reactive oxygen species. We have made some GLP-1 based peptides that will penetrate cells that lower glucose levels and we will test them on models to determine their ability to protect cardiovascular and reindeer. Ultimately, this research could lead to new therapies to reduce the complications of heart and kidney disease.