Hamburg, 02.10.2023

The annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) will be held in Hamburg this year. A scientific programme with more than 1,200 lectures and presentations on the latest findings in diabetes research awaits participants in the Hanseatic city from 2 to 6 October 2023. DZD researchers can look forward to several EASD awards at the conference.

Neuherberg / Tübingen, 26.09.2023

Prediabetes is a condition that precedes type 2 diabetes and increases the risk of heart attack, kidney and eye disease, and several types of cancer. Currently, there is no approved drug therapy for prediabetes available. Scientists at the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) now show how and by which mechanisms prediabetes can be brought into remission, i.e. into a state in which blood glucose levels return to normal. The multicenter study of the DZD also shows that remission of prediabetes protects against type 2 diabetes and is associated with better kidney and vascular function in the long term. Interestingly, the underlying mechanisms are different from those in type 2 diabetes remission, the researchers report in 'The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology'.

Neuherberg / Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 20.09.2023

How do our muscles respond at the molecular level to exercise? Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE) have unraveled the cellular basis and signaling pathways responsible for the positive impact of physical activity on our overall health. Regulatory T cells, a type of immune cell, play a critical role in ensuring proper muscle function. These novel insights are paving the path towards precision medicines targeting metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes, as well as muscle-related illnesses. Their discoveries are published in 'Cell Metabolism'.

Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 07.09.2023

How do we eat in harmony with our inner clock? Which diet promotes healthy aging? And what influence did nutrition have on our well-being during the pandemic? The new annual report of the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE) provides information in the proven magazine style about these and other selected research highlights as well as the diverse activities of the institute in 2021 and 2022.

Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 24.08.2023

There is mounting evidence that gut-derived peptide hormones significantly affect the entire body. By binding themselves to the respective receptors in the brain, the hormones can, among other things, modulate food intake and metabolic parameters. However, to date, the role played by these peptide receptors during critical developmental phases has been the subject of very little research. Researchers from the Junior Research Group of Neurocircuit Development and Function at DIfE took a closer look and investigated the expression patterns of key receptors in the hypothalamus of mice. Their newly acquired knowledge was published in the journal ‘PLOS One’.

Leipzig, 27.07.2023

Prof. Dr. Antje Körner started as head of the Metabolism Division at the Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity and Vascular Research (HI-MAG) on July 1, 2023. Professor Antje Körner, a renowned scientist and pediatrician, has joined HI-MAG as the head of Metabolic Research with a joint professorship at the University of Leipzig .

Munich, 04.07.2023

According to the German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), around 7.2 percent of adults aged 18 to 79 in Germany suffer from diabetes mellitus. 90 to 95 percent of them have type 2 diabetes. It is caused on the one hand by a reduced sensitivity of the body's cells to insulin (insulin resistance), and on the other hand by years of overproduction of insulin, which leads to "exhaustion" of the insulin-producing cells, so that the pancreas cannot supply enough insulin to meet the increased demand. In addition to a hereditary predisposition, obesity and lack of exercise are considered the most important contributors to type 2 diabetes.

Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 20.06.2023

To help prevent a further dramatic increase in obesity, a new European research project aims to tackle the disease during childhood. To mark the start of the five-year OBELISK project, which involves researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE), the international consortium met for the first time at the start of June in France.

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 / Düsseldorf, 25.05.2023

The young researcher Dr. Kálmán Bódis was awarded the German Diabetes Association (DDG) doctoral prize for his doctoral thesis investigating the effects of lipid and energy metabolism disorders on subcutaneous adipose tissue associated with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes. The award ceremony took place on May 18 during the DDG congress in Berlin.

Berlin / Neuherberg, 22.05.2023

The German Diabetes Association (DDG) awards this year's Werner Creutzfeldt Prize to Helmholtz Munich scientist PD Dr Timo Müller for his exceptional work in the research field of Incretin-based diabetes and obesity. This is already the second time in a row, that a scientist from Helmholtz Munich has been awarded with this prestigious award for their research on diabetes mellitus. Last year's Werner Creutzfeldt Prize went to Prof Dr Stephan Herzig, Head of the Helmholtz Munich Diabetes Center and Director of the Institute for Diabetes and Cancer. This highlights the outstanding expertise in the field of diabetes research at Helmholtz Munich.

Düsseldorf / Berlin, 18.05.2023

Classifying diabetes mellitus into subtypes can be the basis for the tailored management of those affected consistent with “precision diabetology.” The goal for the future is early detection of diabetes-related secondary diseases and complications of diabetes. On this basis, the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) developed a clustering that will be presented for the first time by DDZ speakers at the annual congress of the German Diabetes Association in Berlin.

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.