JDRF Center of Excellence

More than 100 million American adults are living with diabetes or prediabetes, which is why 350 Michigan Medicine faculty members are committed to diabetes research. Among them is a significant and growing Kellogg cohort focused on research surrounding the effect diabetes has on the retina.

This dedicated focus has led to a partnership of the Elizabeth Weiser Caswell Diabetes Institute (EWCDI) and the JDRF to establish the JDRF Center of Excellence (COE) at the University of Michigan. Through the use of team science, the COE is committed to pursuing type 1 diabetes (T1D) cures and to reducing disease burden through improved treatments.

“The Center of Excellence further establishes Michigan as one of the premier diabetes centers in the country,” says Thomas Gardner, M.D., M.S., professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences.

The COE’s goals include safer, more effective diabetes management and improved health for individuals living with T1D. The JDRF is the global leader in funding T1D research, and its $7.37 million grant over five years will anchor the COE. In addition, Regent Ron Weiser and his family have contributed towards the EWCDI.

“With this grant, we’re moving toward a burden of disease concept where we look at long-term consequences of type 1 diabetes,” says Dr. Gardner. Specifically, why certain patients experience serious complications and others don’t, he says.

“Using precision medicine, similar to cancer treatment, we might be able to do a better job of preventing complications as we tailor treatment based on each patient’s unique profile with this disease,” Dr. Gardner says. “Instead of treatment focused mainly on diet, exercise and insulin doses, we’re developing treatment specific to individual patient needs.

“We’ve set a very ambitious research agenda that ranges from protein and lipid metabolism, to the function of pancreatic beta cells, to the use of insulin pumps to regulate blood glucose, to addressing chronic complications affecting the kidneys, nerves, brain, heart and eyes, to the psychosocial impact on patients and families.,” says Dr. Gardner. “In short, we hope to redefine how diabetes harms people and to use that information to improve the quality of life for those with the disease.”

The study is administered by the Department of Ophthalmology and combines the expertise of faculty members from the Departments of Internal Medicine (Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes; Division of Nephrology; and Division of Gastroenterology), Pediatrics, Biomedical Engineering Neurology, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the medical school and college of engineering.