Research Description
People who develop type 2 diabetes during childhood or adolescence are at high risk for developing diabetic kidney disease, which increases the risk of kidney failure and death compared to people who develop type 2 diabetes during adulthood. The reasons for these differences are not well understood, and there are few effective options to treat diabetic kidney disease in youth. Given the lack of effective treatments, metabolic bariatric surgery, designed to help with weight loss, is increasingly being considered for youth with type 2 diabetes, despite its cost and potential risk of complications. A better understanding of the effects of metabolic bariatric surgery on kidney health is needed to support the development of non-surgical treatments for diabetic kidney disease in youth. The aims of this study are to study the levels of proteins and other chemicals in blood and urine samples taken from participants in two long-term studies of youth with obesity with and without type 2 diabetes: the TODAY and Teen-LABS studies. In the TODAY study, youth who participated received medical and/or lifestyle treatments for type 2 diabetes, while participating youth in the Teen-LABS study underwent metabolic bariatric surgery. We will validate our findings in TODAY and Teen-LABS using samples from two similar studies at the University of Colorado, as well as kidney tissue samples from biopsies.Research Profile
What area of diabetes research does your project cover? What role will this particular project play in preventing, treating and/or curing diabetes?This project focuses on the mechanisms that lead to the development of kidney disease in youth and young adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes, as well as the mechanisms by which metabolic bariatric surgery leads to regression of kidney disease in youth with severe obesity with and without type 2 diabetes. We will use novel statistical approaches to integrate proteomics, metabolomic and transcriptomic data and identify mechanisms of albuminuria, and pathways contributing to regression of albuminuria following metabolic bariatric surgery. A better understanding of the development of diabetic kidney disease and the molecular and metabolic effects of metabolic bariatric surgery is needed in order to develop targeted treatments to preserve kidney function using non-surgical approaches in youth-onset type 2 diabetes.
If a person with diabetes were to ask you how your project will help them in the future, how would you respond?Diabetic kidney disease is very common in people with youth-onset type 2 diabetes. This project will help us understand how diabetic kidney disease develops in young people with obesity and type 2 diabetes and how metabolic bariatric surgery leads to remission of diabetic kidney disease. This information may help to develop new non-surgical treatments for diabetic kidney disease.
Why important for you, personally, to become involved in diabetes research? What role will this award play?I am personally motivated to work in diabetes research because my father had type 2 diabetes. His experience living with type 2 diabetes made me aware of the burden associated with living with this disease, both in terms of its treatment and diabetes-related complications. This award will allow collection and integration of state-of-the-art multiomics data, including data with single-cell and near single-cell resolution, from two large cohorts with extensive longitudinal follow-up.
In what direction do you see the future of diabetes research going?I believe that diabetes research will become more transdisciplinary, involving researchers with expertise in diverse areas such as biostatistics, data science, epidemiology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and clinical disciplines such as endocrinology, nephrology, and surgery.