Research Description
Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common and highly inflammatory condition of the pancreas and has a high mortality rate. Both obesity and diabetes increase the risk for AP. In turn, AP can also cause diabetes. High blood lipid levels commonly occur in obesity and diabetes and are a major risk factor for AP. However, the exact reason why high blood lipids lead to AP is still unknown. Our studies showed that high blood lipid levels in mice and people can cause lipid accumulation in a type of white blood cells called “monocytes”. These lipid-loaded monocytes (which we call “foamy monocytes”) are inflammatory, easily adhere to blood vessels, and prone to migrate from blood into tissues, becoming inflammatory cells. Therefore, we propose to study the role of foamy monocytes in high blood lipid-induced pancreatitis in mouse models. Our studies have high potential to provide novel drug targets for prevention and treatment of high blood lipid-induced pancreatitis and its complications including 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?This project aims to examine how hypertriglyceridemia, which is associated with diabetes and obesity, increases the risk for acute pancreatitis (AP), a common and highly inflammatory condition of the pancreas that has high mortality rate and can progress to acute necrotizing pancreatitis, leading to a secondary diabetes condition known as pancreatitis-induced diabetes. More specifically, the project will investigate how foamy monocytes, a type of immune cells in the circulation showing phenotypic changes in hypertriglyceridemia and diabetes, contribute to AP. Success of the project will provide further mechanisms whereby hypertriglyceridemia and diabetes cause AP and has high potential to help develop new therapies to treat and prevent diabetes and diabetes-associated complications.
If a person with diabetes were to ask you how your project will help them in the future, how would you respond?Diabetes can cause various pathologic changes and increases risks for many diseases. Hypertriglyceridemia is one of the most pathologic changes in diabetes and increases the risk for pancreatitis, which can in turn lead to secondary diabetes. Our project focusing on the mechanisms whereby hypertriglyceridemia and diabetes cause AP has high potential to help develop new therapies to treat and prevent diabetes and diabetes-associated complications.
Why important for you, personally, to become involved in diabetes research? What role will this award play?The fact that increasing population including my family members (my grandmother and aunts) develops diabetes has inspired my journey into diabetes research. I hope that my research efforts on diabetes will help prevent and treat diabetes and its complications. This award that American Diabetes Association provides will be invaluable in honing the technical and analytical skills essential for my future as an independent researcher engaged in diabetes research. I am grateful for this award and eager to contribute meaningfully to the field of diabetes research.
In what direction do you see the future of diabetes research going?In my personal opinions, the development of diabetes care depends on research dedicated to a deeper understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the onset and progression of diabetes and its complications. Specifically, diabetes risk factors, such as hypertriglyceridemia, exert an influence on diabetes and its associated syndrome via immune pathways.