Tag Archives: Yogish Kudva

Funding for graphene-based wireless sensor and artificial pancreas project announced

The project to create a graphene-based wireless sensor for an artificial panceres is one of tour Minnesota-based (US) projects to get funding, from the Aug. 13, 2013 news item on Nanwoerk (Note: A link has been removed),

The Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics announced four research projects selected for funding from the 2013 Discovery Transformation Grant Program. Together, the selected researchers were awarded a total of $2 million to support their work in diabetes research. Minnesota Partnership funding comes from money appropriated by the Minnesota Legislature.

An Aug. 12, 2013 Mayo Clinic news release provides details about the four funded projects with the second one being of most interest for those following the graphene story,

Insulin Gene Therapy for Diabetes: Insulin gene therapy is a conceptually simple and feasible approach to diabetes management that, if successful, could replace long-acting insulin injections both in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The investigators have created gene therapy vectors coding for insulin and a stop signal that can be activated by giving a drug, so production can be controlled. Based upon encouraging preclinical results, the current project is designed to rapidly advance the new vector to clinical testing in insulin-dependent patients with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

The principal investigators of this research project are Stephen Russell, M.D.,Ph.D., professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Mayo Clinic and R. Scott McIvor, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development at the University of Minnesota.

A Revolutionary Sensor Platform for Realizing the Artificial Pancreas: New technologies are making it possible to develop a system to automate insulin delivery by continually monitoring blood glucose. The investigators aim to develop a graphene-based wireless sensor that can be placed in blood vessels for accurate and continual monitoring of blood glucose levels. This level of data is key to achieving optimal glucose control with an artificial pancreas.

The principal investigators are Yogish Kudva, M.D. , professor in the Department of Endocrinology at Mayo Clinic and Steven Koester, Ph.D. , professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota.

SERCA Activators for Advanced Diabetes Therapy: This project seeks a major advance in treatment for Type 2 diabetes, based on development of drugs that regulate movement of calcium within cells by targeting a naturally occurring pump abbreviated as SERCA. The investigators have already discovered several promising drug candidates that activate SERCA and alleviate mitochondrial dysfunction related to diabetes. The researchers will use high-throughput drug screening technology to find new drug candidates, and then chemically optimize their medicinal properties, paving the way for safety testing and clinical trials.

The principal investigators are David Thomas, Ph.D. and David Bernlohr, Ph.D., who are both professors in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics at the University of Minnesota.

A Novel Method for Detecting and Targeting Diabetes Specific CD4+ T Cells: Type 1 diabetes is a chronic T cell-mediated autoimmune disease that results in the destruction of the insulin secreting beta cells. Advances in biomarker technology have allowed the investigator and his team to identify, track and study individual CD4+ T lymphocytes present in Type 1 diabetes. In this study, the investigator will evaluate the potential of novel biomarkers to permit diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes before irreparable destruction of beta cell mass has occurred and to track auto-reactive cells during ongoing disease.

The principal investigator is Brian Fife, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Minnesota.

You can find out more about the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics here.

SERCA Activators for Advanced Diabetes Therapy