The classification of people with type 2 diabetes into subtypes is well established in research and is increasingly being applied in clinical practice. Until now, however, there were no measures to evaluate the degree of certainty to which an individual can be assigned to a subtype.
To this end, the team led by Dr. Tim Mori proposed using an established statistical measure known as normalized relative entropy. On the basis of data from the German Diabetes Study initiated by the DDZ, the research team demonstrated that the risk of cardiovascular complications can be predicted much more accurately when the certainty of subtype assignment is taken into account in the analysis. The work has been published in the journal Diabetologia.
Project grant for research into beta cell dysfunction
In addition to the Foundation Prize, which is endowed with 1,500 euros, the Dr. Eickelberg Foundation also awarded a project grant amounting to 3,500 euros to the three DDZ scientists Dr. Julia Steinhausen (Institute for Clinical Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry), Katharina Kaiser (Research Institute for Clinical Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry), and Alexandra Zepina (Institute for Clinical Diabetology). Their project is exploring genetic causes of dysfunctions in insulin-producing beta cells in type 2 diabetes. The focus is primarily on a gene that may play a central role in the development of an insulin-deficient form of diabetes.
“The Dr. Eickelberg Foundation has been supporting DDZ researchers selected in a competitive evaluation procedure for many years; on one hand, with a Foundation Prize for completed work and, on the other, with a project grant for the implementation of new ideas. This is valuable recognition and motivation for their scientific career,” emphasizes Professor Michael Roden, Scientific Director and Spokesman of the Board of the DDZ as well as Director of the Clinic for Endocrinology and Diabetology at the University Hospital Düsseldorf (UKD).
Funding diabetes research since 2011
The Dr. Eickelberg Foundation based in Düsseldorf was established in 2011. The foundation traces its origins to Dr. Gisela Eickelberg, a committed women's rights activist, urban planner and artist, who lived with diabetes. Following her death, her estate was transferred to the foundation, which primarily supports scientists researching diabetes at the DDZ. The Dr. Eickelberg Foundation Prize and project grant were awarded for the 13th time in 2026.
