Diabetes and Obesity Research Center Archives - Sanford Burnham Prebys
Institute News

New links between heart hormones, obesity, and diabetes

AuthorGuest Blogger
Date

February 17, 2016

New research from SBP’s Sheila Collins, PhD, and Richard Pratley, MD, has revealed an important relationship between proteins secreted by the heart and obesity, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance. The findings, published in Obesity, offer a new approach to treating metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes, by targeting the pathway that controls the proteins’ concentration in the blood. Continue reading “New links between heart hormones, obesity, and diabetes”

Institute News

Enzymes could be key for brain cancer and Alzheimer’s disease

AuthorGuest Blogger
Date

December 9, 2014

This post was written by Janelle Weaver, PhD, a freelance writer.

Animals ranging from fish to humans produce a vitamin-A metabolite called retinoic acid, which plays an important role in growth and embryonic development and protects against diseases such as cancer. By regulating the activity of key genes, retinoic acid causes immature cells called embryonic stem cells to turn into mature, specialized cells such as neurons. “Neurons—the building blocks of the nervous system—are particularly important cell types in therapy, due to the fact that they normally don’t reproduce or replace themselves after they become damaged,” said Laszlo Nagy, MD, PhD, director of the Genomic Control of Metabolism Program and professor in the Diabetes and Obesity Research Center at Sanford-Burnham’s Lake Nona campus. “Despite their crucial role, we still have a limited understanding regarding the molecular programs that coordinate their functionality.” Continue reading “Enzymes could be key for brain cancer and Alzheimer’s disease”

Institute News

A signature for early-stage heart failure could improve diagnosis and prevent disease progression

AuthorGuest Blogger
Date

September 30, 2014

This is a post by our guest writer Janelle Weaver, PhD

Heart failure affects about five million people in the United States, and about half of these individuals die within five years of diagnosis. This condition occurs when the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, and evidence suggests that abnormalities in energy metabolism play an important role. However, many past studies addressing the underlying molecular mechanisms have focused on severe, late-stage heart failure, potentially missing out on early events that could guide the development of treatment strategies for early disease stages. Continue reading “A signature for early-stage heart failure could improve diagnosis and prevent disease progression”