Dr. Alan Schneyer, a senior faculty member at the Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has been awarded a $737,000 research grant.
The “Physiologic Roles of Activin and Myostatin Antagonists” grant will provide Schneyer with funds to research diabetes over the next three years. Schneyer currently works for the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute (PVLSI).
“My research focuses on looking for hormones that lead to more and better-functioning insulin-producing cells,” said Schneyer.
He believes would ultimately lead to cheaper and more accessible treatments. Schneyer is planning to study a protein called Follistatin (FST). Follistatin plays an important role in normal development and appears to cause proliferation of insulin-producing cells.
Proliferation is the expansion of cells by the continuous division of single cells into two identical daughter cells. Different versions of FST will be examined to determine the function of each.
The results of these studies will lead to a new understanding of the roles of FSTL3 and FST as well as the ligands they regulate, in maintaining normal glucose metabolism and reproduction in adults. Researchers hope this provides the basis for development of new pharmaceutical approaches for treating diabetes and insulin resistance.
The studies have shown one particular form of FST seems to enhance the body’s sensitivity to insulin and to cause proliferation of B cells.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not properly control the amount of sugar in the blood neglecting or not producing the proper insulin. As a result, the level of sugar in the blood is too high. This lack of insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy is needed for daily life.
There are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7 percent of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, 6.2 million people do not know they have it.
Diabetes can be treated but there are currently no cures for it. The available treatment has cost $132 billion annually. If diabetes is left untreated or improperly managed, it can result in complications, including heart disease, kidney disease, eye disease, impotence and nerve damage.
The University of Massachusetts, in cooperation with the Baystate Medical Center, created the PVLSI in 2002. PVLSI’s mission is to improve human health by developing creative new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
“We are delighted to have Dr. Schneyer working at the Institute. He is an outstanding addition to our new diabetes and metabolism group. His work has basic research and clinical implications that fit well with PVLSI’s focus and strengths, as well as with the high-quality bench science of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the top-notch clinical work of the Baystate Medical Center,” said Larry Schwartz, PVLSI’s science director.
Josh Walovitch can be reached at [email protected].
