This fall a group from the University's Alberta Diabetes Institute (ADI) will be travelling to Munich, Germany to attend the 4th annual Helmholtz-Nature Medicine Diabetes Conference (September 18-20) and continue ongoing development of a partnership between the ADI and the Helmholtz Alberta Initiative in the area of diabetes research. Profiles of the 7 ADI members that will be attending the conference can be seen below. Earlier in May a group from Helmholtz spent two days at the University of Alberta, with a major focus being the ADI and research activities in diabetes. Included in this group was HZM's Scientific Director Gϋnther Wess who was thoroughly impressed with ADI's research portfolio and infrastructure and expressed his enthusiasm about pursuing collaborative research. Funding for this endeavor was provided by the ADI.
The Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest research organization and was formed in 1995 to consolidate large scale research initiatives in the country and work towards solving major challenges in 6 key fields, two of which are Health and Energy. Helmholtz has been affiliated with the University of Alberta for several years in Neurodegeneration, Infectious Diseases, Energy and Environmental research, and is now looking to embark on collaborative research in diabetes. Within their Health field, research is conducted in 5 programs:
- Cancer Research
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease
- Infection Research
- Disorders of the Nervous System
- Genetic and Environmental Influences on Common Diseases
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The Helmholtz Association is a collection of 18 research centers located across Germany. One of these is Helmholtz Zentrum Mϋnchen (HZM), where most diabetes-related research happens. The HZM campus is located in Neuherberg in northern Munich where a new building, the Centre for Integrated Diabetes Research, is being constructed and will allow an interdisciplinary approach to diabetes research much like that of ADI. Visiting ADI members will be touring the HZM campus following the conference and will meet with a group of their scientists. While ADI and HZM share common areas of research interest, there are clearly distinct strengths that make the partnership highly complementary and the prospect of working together exciting. This includes the opportunity of having both scientists and trainees spending time at each other's facilities and both the Helmholtz Alberta Initiative and ADI will explore opportunities to jointly fund research in strategic areas.
The diagram A Framework for Collaboration (PDF) shows areas of mutual research interest that demonstrates collaborative possibilities in diabetes between ADI and Helmholtz.
ADI Members Attending 2016 Helmholtz-Nature Medicine Diabetes Conference
Peter Light, PhD (Biological Sciences)
Professor, Department of Pharmacology
Director, Alberta Diabetes InstituteKey Areas: Cellular electrophysiology, genetic engineering, diabetic cardiomyopathyLight's research in electrophysiology and genetics has been recognized for improving our understanding of the ionic events controlling cellular excitability. His cell-based research has demonstrated a number of important pathways leading to insulin resistance and heart disease, such as cation channel (TRPV1) modulation and calcium influx via long-chain acyl CoAs) and genetic variations in potassium channels. He is also active in the design and preclinical development of novel small molecule drugs for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Other work focuses on using genetic delivery techniques to facilitate islet graft survival and to engineer adipocytes to produce endogenous insulin in response to blue light stimuli. Light was also part of a landmark metabolomics profiling study that identified 2-aminoadipic acid (2-AAA) as a strong, predictive metabolite for the risk of developing T2D, as well as an experimental mouse study that suggested 2-AAA was a modulator of glucose homeostasis.
Andrea Haqq, MD, MHS (Pediatrics)
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics (Division of Pediatric Endocrinology)Key Areas: Neuro-endocrinology, body composition/metabolism, childhood obesity, Prader-Willi Syndrome, anti-obesity therapies
Haqq's research has focused on understanding the pathogenesis and therapy of childhood obesity and Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a genetic syndrome characterized by hyperphagia and obesity. Her research explores the hormonal control of appetite (e.g. ghrelin, insulin, leptin) and energy balance and has important, broad implications for understanding PWS, childhood obesity, and weight control. Her group has defined PWS as a unique model that may help to explain this phenomenon of the "healthy obese" patient; PWS is associated with relative hypoinsulinemia and hypersensitivity to insulin action, hyperadiponectinemia, lower pro-inflammatory cytokines, and relatively low visceral fat deposition. Ongoing work is focused on characterization of a unique low muscle-high adiposity ("sarcopenic obesity-like") phenotype in youth with PWS. Haqq and collaborators continue to also explore use of novel anti-obesity therapies in children and adolescents with morbid obesity, including those with PWS.
Patrick MacDonald, PhD (Physiology)
Professor, Department of Pharmacology
Director of IsletCoreKey Areas: Islet cell signaling, insulin secretion, human islet isolation and biobanking
MacDonald's research has contributed greatly to our understanding of how insulin secretion from islet cells is regulated through the action of enzymes, post-transcriptional modification of proteins, voltage-gated channels and gene expression. His work on SUMOylation in beta cells showed this post-transcription pathway to be an important inhibitor of insulin release and promotor of glucagon secretion. Related to this was MacDonald's recent work that identified a key "dimmer" switch pathway in islets - the isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDc) dependent generation of NADPH that acts via the sentrin/SUMO-specific protease-1 (SENP1) to augment insulin secretion. This work has set the stage for future therapeutic targeting to rescue beta cell function in T2D. Other research in MacDonald's laboratory focuses on the mechanism by which zinc finger MIZ-Type containing 1 (ZMIZ1), a gene over-expressed in T2D, leads to the impairment of insulin secretion and the regulation of insulin secretion by the PI3 kinase class of enzymes. MacDonald is also director of IsletCore, ADI's isolation, cryopreservation and distribution core service for human research islets.
Greg Korbutt, PhD (Diabetes)
Professor, Department of SurgeryKey Areas: Xenotransplantation, immunosuppression, cell therapy manufacturing
Korbutt was one of the original team members that developed the Edmonton Protocol - the world's most-followed surgical procedure for islet cell allo-transplantation. His current research focuses on the investigation of alternate, insulin-producing tissues for transplantation and overcoming the need for continuous immunosuppression. This includes the study of porcine-derived islet cells in xenotransplantation animal models as well as techniques for optimizing islet cell aggregation after isolation to improve graft survival. Related research explores a novel collagen-based matrix for improving the vascularization, immunosuppression and survival of grafts. Earlier research explored islet cell encapsulation and co-transplantation with mesenchymal stem cells to protect grafts against immuno-rejection. Korbutt is also director of Alberta Cell Therapy Manufacturing, Western Canada's first clinical-grade production facility for cellular-based therapies and products under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), including neonatal porcine islets for clinical application.
Jason Dyck, PhD (Medical Sciences)
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Director, Cardiovascular Research Centre
Canada Research Chair in Molecular MedicineKey Areas: Cardiac energetics, cardiovascular disease, diabetic cardiomyopathy
Dyck has a number of research interests with a major focus on understanding how altered systemic and cardiac energy metabolism contributes to cardiovascular disease. He has performed extensive preclinical and clinical research aimed at understanding the protective mechanism of resveratrol against diabetic heart disease and insulin resistance. He has also investigated the role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in controlling cardiac hypertrophy and did a key study that demonstrated how metformin-induced insulin sensitivity is achieved in part by its activation of AMPK and consequent inhibition of enzymes leading to fatty acid synthesis in the liver. Dyck is also active in the development and preclinical testing of novel compounds for atrial fibrillation and oversaw a recent toxicity study of juvenile doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.
Jens Walter, PhD (Microbiology)
Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional ScienceKey Areas: Gut microbiome, immunology, diet-induced microbiota health
Walter's research is primarily focused on the gastrointestinal microbiome and how that relates to immunological and metabolic health. He is especially interested in the evolutionary processes that have shaped this partnership and the biological outcomes for both the host and the microbes. His animal model and clinical research also looks at how environmental factors such as diet and lifestyle impact the microbial communities in the gut and what consequences their effects have for the host. His research has resulted in several publications on the evolution of the model gut symbiont Lactobacillus reuteri, the importance of environmental (diet) and host factors (host genotype) on the composition and functionality of the gut microbiota, and the impact of diet on gut microbial ecology in relation to health. He is also principle investigator for FYBER, a clinical research study looking at the relative efficacies of different dietary fiber supplements on the health outcomes of overweight and obese individuals.
Vince Rogers, PhD (Toxicology)
Director of Operations, Alberta Diabetes Institute (ADI)Key Areas: ADI operations, strategic planning, clinical research unit
Rogers oversees operational aspects of the ADI and works closely with the director on strategic planning for the Institute. He has a strong background in preclinical research and technology development, and was previously director of a regulatory safety testing (GLP) facility that served local and national biotech companies. Rogers now provides oversight of the operation of ADI infrastructure and its resources, and provides direct supervision of the clinical research unit. An additional focus is to develop strategic planning for ADI that optimizes opportunities for the 60+ members doing preclinical, clinical and health outcomes research and provides support for knowledge transfer of their innovations.