Neuherberg, 05.06.2023

Tirzepatide is a recently approved treatment for type-2 diabetes. Treatment with tirzepatide decreases body weight while improving glucose metabolism in patients with obesity and type-2 diabetes. Although the drug is designed to activate receptors for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), the contribution of activating the GIP receptor in the overall efficacy of tirzepatide is not fully understood. A team of researchers demonstrated for the first time that tirzepatide stimulates insulin secretion in the human pancreas via the GIP receptor. These results contrast with findings in mice, where tirzepatide primarily stimulated insulin secretion via the GLP-1 receptor. This study is now published in 'Nature Metabolism'.

Baden-Baden, 31.05.2023

The brain determines whether the metabolism is functioning. If it does not react with sufficient sensitivity to insulin, liver, adipose, and muscle tissues are unable to absorb enough glucose causing an increase in blood sugar levels. This can result in weight gain and type 2 diabetes. At the German Center for Diabetes Research, researchers from the fields of neuroscience and diabetology work closely together. At a fascinating symposium at the 66th German Congress of Endocrinology, from July 5–7 in Baden-Baden, they will shed light on how the central nervous system controls the peripheral energy and glucose balance

Berlin, 16.05.2023

Under the banner “Diversity & Individuality – Rethinking Diabetes”, the 57th annual conference of the German Diabetes Association (DDG) will take place in Berlin from May 17 to 20, 2023. Researchers from the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) will also present their latest research findings. The featured topics from the DZD will include new approaches for precise therapies and diabetes prevention.

Neuherberg / Düsseldorf, 10.05.2023

How does physical activity affect blood sugar levels? Do different things have to be taken into account depending on the type of diabetes? How can I incorporate regular exercise into my daily routine? On June 15, from 4 pm to 6 pm, the national diabetes information portal diabinfo.de extends an invitation to its digital forum “Diabinfo im Dialog”. Through specialist lectures and a discussion panel, we will take a comprehensive look at the topic “Exercise as a Miracle Cure” together with viewers.

Tübingen / Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 06.05.2023

Lean, metabolically unhealthy, people have a risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) that is higher than the risk observed in obese, metabolically healthy people. Recently, novel cluster analyses (computer-based grouping of people) also identified a large heterogeneity in the risk of type 2 diabetes and CVD and of their treatment response. These findings reveal that there may be a huge, yet undetected, treasure to be lifted in the field of cardiometabolic research. In a Review article in 'Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology', Norbert Stefan from Helmholtz Munich, the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and the University of Tübingen, and Matthias B. Schulze from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke and the DZD highlight how these novel risk stratification concepts can help to better implement precision medicine in clinical practice.

Berlin / Neuherberg, 28.03.2023

Patients can participate in medical research as active partners. Researchers should consider their needs and their unique expertise in the research process, as it is a valuable resource. The Health Research Forum published a statement on patient participation and calls for it to become the standard for patient-centered health research.

Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 23.03.2023

Polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid levels have previously been linked to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But what matters is which class of plasma lipids is being looked at. Certain lipids can act as biomarkers to better assess the influence of diet and fat metabolism on the development of the disease. These are the findings of the team comprised of Marcela Prada, Fabian Eichelmann and Matthias Schulze from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), a partner institute of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) e.V., published in the journal ‚Diabetes Care‘.

Neuherberg, 20.03.2023

This is what ideal medicine would look like: Doctors could specifically alter molecular processes in diseased cells in the body and thus causally cure patients. This is the goal of the German Centers for Health Research (DZG) in the project "Cell type specific targeting for future in vivo delivery in cell and gene therapy". The funding, awarded for the first time, comes from the DZG Innovation Fund.

Düsseldorf, 20.03.2023

Using the sixty-three million people with statutory health insurance as a basis, the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) has compiled the first study of trends associated with the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Germany over a period of six years. The findings show a decline in the number of new cases in almost all 401 administrative districts and urban municipalities, as well as nationwide. In contrast, an increase in the number of cases in younger age groups was observed.

Neuherberg, 07.03.2023

Sex differences exist in the regulation of energy homeostasis, the organism’s mechanism to keep a stable body weight. Current studies indicate for instance that female mammals, including humans, are better protected against metabolic diseases during reproductive age. This is particularly important with regard to obesity, a noncommunicable disease whose prevalence has tripled since 1975 according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However, it is still not fully understood how hormones, released by sex-specific reproductive glands, signal to the brain to regulate energy metabolism in females versus males. Researchers at Helmholtz Munich pursued the question and discovered a new protein called Cited1 within hypothalamic neurons that is involved in the regulation and sensitivity of satiety pathways. The results are now published in 'Cell Metabolism'.

Augsburg / Neuherberg, 14.02.2023

Scientists at the University of Augsburg and Helmholtz Munich have made an important breakthrough in better understanding early processes in the development of type 2 diabetes by identifying a previously unknown transmission of messenger substances from adipose tissue to the pancreas. In a publication in 'Nature Communication', the team led by Prof. Dr. Kerstin Stemmer was able to show that adipose cells release tiny lipid membrane particles known as extracellular vesicles into the blood, which can stimulate the release of the blood sugar-lowering hormone insulin from the pancreas.

Munich / Tübingen, 07.02.2023

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In a Perspective in Cell Metabolism, Norbert Stefan from the University of Tübingen, Helmholtz Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research, Morris F. White from the Harvard Medical School, and colleagues first highlight the dysregulation of hepatokines – proteins released from the liver – in people with NAFLD. Then, they discuss pathomechanisms of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases specifically related to NAFLD by focusing on hepatokine-related organ crosstalk. Finally, they propose how the determination of major hepatokines and adipokines (proteins released from fat) can be used for the identification of subtypes of people with NAFLD, to better implement precision medicine in clinical practice.

Düsseldorf, 11.01.2023

Recent results from the prospective population-based KORA F4/FF4 study have linked environmental risk factors with the onset of distal symmetrical polyneuropathy (DSPN) for the first time. Researchers of the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) in cooperation with Helmholtz Munich were able to determine that people with obesity are at greater risk of developing DSPN.