Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Winter 2018 - 15

RESEARCH NEWS

Association Announces New Pathway to
Stop Diabetes® Awardees
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is pleased to announce the selection of six scientists for funding through the
prestigious Pathway to Stop Diabetes research grant program,
now in its fifth year.
Pathway awards are offered via three grant types, each providing
up to $1.625 million in research support over the course of 5-7
years. Initiator Awards support scientists completing training
positions and transitioning to independent research careers.
Accelerator Awards support exceptional diabetes scientists early
in their independent research careers. Visionary Awards support
well-established scientists from other fields who seek to apply
their expertise to diabetes research for the first time.
These six scientists join an elite group of 23 other Pathway
awardees who have been selected over the previous four years.
The Pathway scientists have been making significant contributions to the field of diabetes. Collectively, their Pathwayfunded research has resulted in seven patent filings, more than
60 peer-reviewed publications, and several hundred scientific
presentations. Six of the eight Initiator Award recipients have
secured their first independent faculty positions.

2018 Initiator Award
Genes, the Brain and Metabolism
John Nelson Campbell, PhD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Boston, MA
Project Title: Molecular and functional
taxonomy of vagal motor neurons
We know that the brain relays information
about the environment to organs throughout the body to coordinate their functions. A specific set of neurons, known as vagal
motor neurons, is known to control digestion, insulin release,
and glucose production from the liver, but scientists do not yet
understand precisely how they work. Dr. Campbell is profiling
gene expression in vagal motor neurons to identify genetically
distinct subtypes and then matching each subtype to its specific
role in organ function. These studies will yield unprecedented
insight into how the brain controls digestion and glucose metabolism and identify potential new therapeutic targets for diabetes.

2018 Accelerator Awards
Improving Diabetes Health Outcomes in
the Transition From Pediatric to Adult
Care
Maureen Monaghan, PhD
Children's Research Institute, Children's
National Health System, Washington, DC
Project Title: Improving health
communication during the transition from pediatric to
adult diabetes care
Adolescents and young adults (aged 17-21 years) with type 1
diabetes are at high risk for negative health outcomes, including
poor glycemic control and disengagement from the health care

system. The period of transition from pediatric to adult diabetes
care represents a particularly risky time. Dr. Monaghan aims to
leverage innovative technologies to improve youth communication skills and behaviors related to planning for diabetes visits,
disclosing diabetes-related concerns, and optimizing glucose
data review in preparation for entrance into adult diabetes care.
This intervention has the potential to improve diabetes self-care
skills. Equipping adolescents and young adults with skills to enhance health communication may hasten the development of key
self-advocacy skills needed for successful engagement in adult
diabetes care and, thus, establish a lasting pattern of positive
health behaviors.
Dissecting the Brain's Control of
Metabolism
Alexander R. Nectow, PhD
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Project Title: Investigation of brainstem
neurons regulating energy balance
Energy balance is tightly regulated by the
brain, which detects changes in nutritional state and in turn
modulates food intake, energy expenditure, and metabolic function. This sense-and-respond system is composed of neurons
throughout the brain, particularly within the hypothalamus and
brainstem. However, the mechanisms through which dysfunction of this system leads to obesity and diabetes are unknown.
Dr. Nectow will explore the function of recently characterized inhibitory neurons in the brainstem and ask whether these neurons
are capable of regulating metabolism in healthy and obese mice.
The results from this project may lead to a better understanding
of the brain's dysregulation in obesity and diabetes and could
thus have direct implications for the prevention and treatment of
these debilitating disorders.
Understanding How Type 2 Diabetes is
Linked to Cellular Changes
Michael L. Stitzel, PhD
The Jackson Laboratory, Farmington, CT
Project Title: Deciphering longitudinal
cell type-specific defects in diabetes
pathogenesis
The pancreas features cell clusters called islets that contain multiple cell types that perform distinct functions, including the insulin-producing β-cells. Understandably, much diabetes research
focuses on the β-cell. However, other cell types within the islet
are also disrupted in type 2 diabetes, and these changes are associated with disease progression. Dr. Stitzel aims to identify cell
type-specific molecular signatures of islet dysfunction and type
2 diabetes using innovative genomic approaches. His project will
profile gene expression in single islet cells to define the cell types
and determine differences between islets from individuals with
normal glucose, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. This work will
reveal the fundamental molecular features governing the identity
and function of each islet cell type and provide a roadmap of the
cell type-specific changes that accompany diabetes. The results
may lead to the identification of novel targets to prevent and
treat type 2 diabetes.

continued on page 16

DIABETESPRO QUARTERLY

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Winter 2018