With Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Asian populations facing some of the highest diabetes rates in the nation, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Diabetes Research Center has received a $2.35 million renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health to expand research, strengthen infrastructure and train the next generation of scientists. In its seventh year of funding, the center is part of UH Mānoa’s Centers for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) and continues to focus on tackling this critical public health challenge.
“Diabetes and prediabetes affect nearly half of the U.S. population, and even more so in underserved communities,” said Mariana Gerschenson, professor in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), who leads the initiative as principal investigator. “Our goal is to build a sustainable, collaborative center that addresses both the biological mechanisms and health differences associated with diabetes in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.”
Related UH News story: $11.7M grant renewal advances diabetes research in Hawaiʻi
Since its inception, the center has played a pivotal role in mentoring seven research leaders and seven pilot investigators. Phase 2 will significantly expand this mission through several key initiatives:
- Investigating diabetic complications: Focused research on complications that occur at higher rates in racial and ethnic minorities.
- Faculty recruitment: Bringing in four new tenure-track faculty members specializing in translational diabetes and insulin resistance research.
- Pipeline development: Supporting pilot projects to cultivate a robust pipeline of future research leaders.
- Community engagement: Strengthening community outreach through an annual symposium and enhanced digital resources.
The renewed award will support key research project leaders, including cell and molecular biology faculty Kathryn Schunke and Michael Ortega, as well as graduate students, postdocs, and the Metabolic and Analytic Core led by Chair Olivier Le Saux.
Innovative research projects
Current research projects at the Diabetic Research Center are exploring innovative solutions and deeper understandings of diabetes, including:
- Developing non-invasive sweat sensors for monitoring complications.
- Studying the genomic links between diabetes and stroke in Native Hawaiians.
- Understanding diabetic autonomic neuropathy using animal models.
- Investigating diabetic renal disease using animal models.
