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New EU-funded research project to investigate ways to detect and prevent type 2 diabetes in real-life settings

By 7 de March de 2012November 18th, 2020No Comments
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 07.03.2012

New EU-funded research project to investigate ways to detect and prevent type 2 diabetes in real-life settings

The EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) has awarded a consortium led by John Nolan, CEO and Head of Steno Diabetes Center in Denmark, a research grant of 5.5 million Euros, with the participation of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), based in the Barcelona Scientific Park. The team headed by Antonio Zorzano in the Heterogenic and Polygenic disease Lab at IRB Barcelona will search muscle genes to identify a biomarker of pre-diabetes. The other Catalan partner participating in the consortium is the "Institut de Recerca Biomédica de Bellvitge" (IDIBELL), through Manel Esteller's lab, which will develop epigenetic studies on cell and tissue samples.


The grant will fund a new type 2 diabetes prevention project (DEXLIFE) which will run over the next 3½ years involving a wide range of European partners, including diabetes clinics, universities, and industry. “The aim of the project is to enable early stage identification of people with pre-diabetes who respond poorly or not at all to diet and exercise interventions”, says John Nolan. The project will look at markers in the blood, muscle, and genes to establish a better understanding of the progression from pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes and how it can be prevented.

The team headed by Antonio Zorzano in the Heterogenic and Polygenic disease Lab at IRB Barcelona will search muscle genes to identify a biomarker of pre-diabetes. “This approach in early phases of diabetes is crucial and we hope that it contributes to slowing down the diabetes epidemic in our society” explains Antonio Zorzano, who is also professor at the University of Barcelona and coordinator of the Molecular Medicine Programme at the IRB Barcelona. Furthermore, this study seeks to identify genes associated with susceptibility to diabetes and that could serve as new targets for this disease.

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