It is now accepted that effective treatment of diabetes reduces the incidence and severity of its complications. Our research and that of others confirm that most patients with diabetes are not receiving adequate care, emphasizing the need for earlier diagnosis and treatment. With this in mind, we have adopted as the theme of this DRTC Shifting the Curve: Preventing Diabetes and Its Complications. The Indiana University DRTC enhances diabetes research through support of Research Enrichment, Pilot Projects, Research Training and Core facilities. The research base consists of 53 primary investigators with annual direct funding of $12,324,577 and 32 Collaborating investigators with an additional $11,889,534. These investigators fall into four groups: Molecular and Cell Biology, Complications, Physiology, and Health Service Research. The Molecular and Cell Biology Group has strengths in metabolism and signal transduction, and is supported primarily by the molecular Biology Core. The Complications Group focuses on molecular mechanisms of vascular disease and other end-organ diabetic complications. It is supported by the Biostatistics, Immunologic services, Molecular Biology and Physiology Cores. The Physiology Group is expanding our knowledge of the pathophysiology of diabetes and insulin resistance. Several newly recruited investigators add expertise in obesity and exercise physiology. The Physiology Core permits this Group to apply a number of advanced techniques to study and characterize individuals with diabetes and insulin resistance. The goal of the Health Services Research (HSR) Group is to improve the delivery of health care to persons with diabetes. The HSR Group has developed cooperative studies with the other three DRTC's which are also Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) sites to take advantages of the DPP population. Within the HSR Group, the Model Diabetes Unit, the Education Design and Evaluation Core (EDEC) and the Outreach Core propose innovate projects to improve the ability of practitioners to deliver comprehensive diabetes care. These investigators depend on the Biostatistics, Immunologic Services and Physiology Cores. These and numerous institutional resources enhance the DRTC's ability to conduct research, to disseminate its results, and to improve the diagnosis and treatment of persons with diabetes.
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