Diabetes can result in dangerous complications and remains the most common cause of blindness, kidney failure, and non-traumatic amputation of the toes, feet, or legs. Diabetes can also damage the heart and blood vessels, significantly increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.
Thus, in addition to the pursuit to prevent and cure diabetes, CDI embraces the in-depth biology and pathophysiology of diabetes complications is crucial for discovering and implementing optimal therapeutic strategies in providing patient-centered clinical care for all people with diabetes - to prevent and reverse diabetes burden and improve lives for all.
Breakthrough T1D Center of Excellence
Current type 1 diabetes (T1D) treatment strategies assume that low or high blood sugar represent the only drivers of diabetic complications, including those that affect the eye, kidney, heart, and nerves, along with cognitive impairment and psychosocial stress. However, the U-M team has shown that disturbed protein and fat metabolism may also play a role in the development of complications and beta cell function.
With funding from Breakthrough T1D, CDI investigators have undertaken a comprehensive investigation of T1D metabolism, with the goal of preventing or treating complications and optimizing beta cell function and improving psychosocial health. The Breakthrough T1D Cent of Excellence at the University of Michigan continues to rapidly advance scientific knowledge by translation discoveries into better care and health outcomes for people with T1D. The current key areas of focus for COE are to:
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Identify predictive markers and therapeutic targets for T1D complications
- Discover the relationship between metabolic profiles, brain function, and psychosocial stress, to minimize the burden of mental health complications in T1D
- Determine the optimal metabolic environment for beta cell function in people who receive replacement therapy
- Develop patient-specific profiles and advanced algorithms to guide tailored artificial pancreas technology to improve time-in-range and reduce low blood-sugar even
Mary Tyler Moore Vision Consortium
Mary Tyler Moore is remembered for her brilliant work as an actress and a relentless diabetes research advocate. Her professional persona was one of joy and optimism, yet very few people knew of the burden she carried due to her struggles with diabetes and its complications. To the outside world, she was a beautiful, happy, independent woman. Privately, diabetes and her near-blindness from diabetic retinal disease (DRD) stole her joy and autonomy. Sadly, Mary’s story is not unique. Everyone with diabetes knows the fear of possible vision loss. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, with more than 50 million people suffering from vision-threatening diabetes globally.
The Caswell Diabetes Institute is partnering with the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative (MTM Vision) to reach the ultimate goal of a world without vision loss from diabetic retinal disease.
Learn more about MTM Vision here
NIH Diabetic Foot Consortium
Funded by the National Institutes of Health, six U.S. research institutions launched the first-ever multicenter network to study diabetic foot ulcers, a common and burdensome complication of diabetes and the leading cause of lower limb amputations in the U.S. The Diabetic Foot Consortium (DFC) will lay the foundation for a clinical trial network to improve diabetic wound healing and prevent amputations among the 27 million American adults with diabetes. The DFC is supported by the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
Pediatric Clinical Research and Diabetes Program
Info coming soon
Program for Clinical Research in Diabetes Care & Complications
The Program for Clinical Research in Diabetes Care & Complications works to advance the knowledge in the field of diabetes and its complications, while improving the clinical care and life of all patients with diabetes in the U.S. and throughout the world.