The Center draws upon the expertise of a wide range of investigators with complementary interests in diabetes, obesity, inflammation, lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. Members of the Center’s faculty conduct both basic research to clarify the mechanisms causing diabetes and obesity and their consequences, and translational research to transform their research findings into clinical solutions.
Two-thirds of the adult U.S. population is overweight and one-half of those individuals – one-third of the adult population – are obese. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (formerly known as “adult-onset”) has also increased markedly in recent decades not only among adults, but in children as well. Although type 1 diabetes is less common, it is a potentially devastating disorder affecting both children and adults and, while treatments for both types of diabetes exist, neither is curable and effective treatments for obesity have yet to be developed.
Much of the good we accomplish is made possible by private support: by people and organizations underwriting leading-edge research and providing funding to train promising fellows. With your help, the DOCE is improving lives throughout the Northwest and around the world.
DOCE Director Michael W. Schwartz, MD (MTE) is senior author of a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that presents the first evidence of structural change in the brain in both rodents and humans associated with diet-induced obesity. DOCE researcher Dr. Josh Thaler, MD, PhD, (MTE), is the first author on the paper entitled ʽObesity Is Associated with Hypothalamic Injury in Rodents and Humansʼ which was published in the January 3rd issue.
Dr. Jay Heinecke, MD (MTE) has been awarded an NIH/NHLBI R01 for his project entitled “Quantitative Assessment of HDL Function”. The goal of the research is to identify proteins that alter HDL’s function and are selectively enriched or depleted in subjects at risk for CVD.
Dr. Savitha Subramanian, MD (MTE) is the recipient of a University of Washington Royalty Research Fund Award for her project titled “Role of hepatic macrophages in obesity”. This project will explore the changes in the liver immune microenvironment in the setting of chronic caloric excess using animal models and cell culture. Dr. Subramanian is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition.
Dr. Alan Chait, professor and head of the division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, has been selected as the 2013 Western Society of Clinical Investigation (WSCI) Mayo Soley Award winner. The Mayo Soley award is given to a “senior investigator in recognition of lifetime achievement in the area of scientific endeavor and training of junior investigators.”
