Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Summer 2017 - 19

RESEARCH NEWS
Pathway continued from page 18
inflammation may be an effective obesity
therapy.
Praveen Sethupathy, PhD, is a 2016
Pathway Accelerator Award recipient
and an associate professor at Cornell
University College of Veterinary
Medicine in Ithaca, N.Y. The goal of his
Pathway project is to identify how intestinal cells respond to microorganisms
in diet-induced obesity. The intestine is
crucial in absorbing and responding to
nutrient intake to maintain energy homeostasis. In San Diego, Dr. Sethupathy
presented a study that uncovers a key
molecular pathway that responds to
a high-fat diet and induces insulin
resistance in the gut. This line of work
may lead to new approaches to enhance
insulin sensitivity and prevent or treat
diabetes by protecting intestinal function.
Kathleen A. Page, MD, is a 2014
Pathway Accelerator Award recipient
and an assistant professor and practicing
endocrinologist at the Keck School of
Medicine at the University of Southern
California in Los Angeles. Her Pathway
project aims to characterize how maternal obesity or diabetes influences the
brain pathways responsible for body
weight and blood glucose control in
offspring. At the 77th Scientific Sessions,
she reported data showing that central
adiposity in children is independently
associated with exposure to gestational
diabetes and the mother's prepregnancy

BMI. This result begins to explain the
transgenerational risk of diabetes and
obesity, which will help to define prevention interventions.
Phillip J. White, PhD, is a 2016 Pathway
Initiator Award recipient and a senior
research associate at Duke University
in Durham, N.C. His Pathway project
is focused on how circulating levels of
branched chain amino acids (BCAAs),
which come from certain proteins in
our diets, are linked to glucose and lipid
metabolism in the liver. This year, he
reported results of a study in rats that
helped tease out how improper processing of BCAAs underlies glucose and lipid
metabolism pathology. With continued
study, this information is expected to
identify where new drug development efforts may be focused to treat prediabetes,
fatty liver disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Zhen Gu, PhD, is a 2015 Pathway
Accelerator Award recipient and an associate professor in the joint department of

biomedical engineering of the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and
North Carolina State University. He has
advanced several complementary approaches to engineering glucose-responsive insulin delivery systems that mimic
a healthy pancreas. In San Diego, he
reported results on a study in mice that
showed that the vesicles he engineered
to respond to glucose levels and release
insulin through a microneedle patch were
effective. He recently launched a startup
company that aims to translate this technology for clinical use.
The Pathway program continues to
exceed even the highest expectations. In
just the first few years, Pathway scientists
collectively have published more than
50 high-profile scientific manuscripts,
delivered nearly 250 presentations, and
filed four patents. Read more about all of
the Pathway awardees, their projects, and
their progress to date on the grants recipients pages at diabetes.org/pathway.

IMPORTANT DEADLINES FOR CORE AWARDS
Core Program
Final progress report (cumulative scientific and financial)
for award holders with a June 30, 2017 end date

September 1, 2017

Scientific progress reports for award holders with a
January 1 start date

November 1, 2017

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

DiabetesPro Career Center
Find the latest jobs and high-quality job seekers in academic
research, endocrinology (MD, NP, RN, PA), pediatric endocrinology, and diabetes education. DiabetesPro Career Center is
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development tools for professionals working in the field
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View these jobs and more at professional.diabetes.org/
careercenter.
Physician - Endocrinologist
Greenville, SC
JOB# 1874868

Greenville Health System, the largest health care provider in
South Carolina, seeks a BC/BE Endocrinologist to join three
MDs, and one AP in a growing practice. The practice has an

American Diabetes Association-certified diabetes self-management program and certified diabetes educators and handles
insulin pump training and diabetes research. The ideal candidate
will be a clinician educator with an interest in research.
Nurse Practitioner - Endocrinology
Eugene, OR
JOB# 1874756

PeaceHealth is seeking a nurse practitioner in endocrinology for
adult patients to join a busy and growing practice. Our clinic has
a supportive front desk and administrative staff, a physician assistant, support from PeaceHealth leadership, an onsite dietitian
and triage nurse, and a nurse diabetes educator/certified pump
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competitive compensation, and robust benefits.
DIABETESPRO QUARTERLY

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Summer 2017