Research Description
Both incidence and prevalence of diabetes are increasing at an alarming rate in the world. Obesity is probably the single most important reason of diabetes epidemic. Excessive caloric intake and sedentary lifestyle are the main causes of obesity. Scientific studies have shown that expansion of fat tissue in obesity is sufficient to cause derangements in glucose metabolism, and possibly diabetes. There are numerous metabolic changes in fat tissue by obesity. The candidate now focuses on one of the most dramatically changed biological pathways, protein folding stress response. Under obesity, multiple disorder in the fat may activate protein folding response. The proposal here aims to understand the function of this response in the initiation and development of obesity and diabetes. Both tissue culture and animal experiments will be employed. Insights from this project may greatly advance our understanding of the role of adipose tissue in the etiology of diabetes and likely pave a way to identify novel treatment regimes for obesity and diabetes.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?My project involves unfolded protein response, adipocytes, insulin resistance and obesity. We are trying to understand the role of unfolded protein response in the function of adipocytes. Hopefully, we could target unfolded protein response to interfere insulin resistance and obesity.
If a person with diabetes were to ask you how your project will help them in the future, how would you respond?Adipocytes play a crucial role in obesity and insulin resistance. Through manipulating the expressions of genes we try to change the status of adipocytes during obesity. We hope to find new drug targets in adipocytes to treat obesity and insulin resistance.
Why important for you, personally, to become involved in diabetes research? What role will this award play?With excessive caloric intake and popularity of sedentary lifestyle, obesity is now a big threat for health of humans. Understanding how adipocytes work during obesity is important to intervene the epidemic. I am always fascinated to know how cells function during handling environmental signals. I believe unfolded protein response executes important function in adipocytes, since adipocytes could store energy and secret adipokines at the same time. I am grateful to get support and comments for my project from ADA. With this award it will be great helpful to examine my hypothesis.
In what direction do you see the future of diabetes research going?Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the location for protein synthesis, folding and modification. I think manipulating the function of ER is good strategy to alter the status of adipocytes. It will be a new direction in the diabetes research.