Research

Exploring the origins of type 2 diabetes

For scientists who dedicate their lives to the field of biomedical research, small steps made along the way can hold great rewards. For cell biologist Andreas Stahl, Ph.D., who joined the Department of Cardiovascular Biology at the PAMF Research Institute in September 2001, a deeply held desire to make a contribution to the field of biomedical research has taken on great significance.

Dr. Stahl came to the Research Institute from the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, while working as a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Harvey F. Lodish, Ph.D., Dr. Stahl cloned and patented a family of six fatty acid transport proteins.

"When I cloned this original gene family, we found that all other animals have this same class of transporters," explained Dr. Stahl. Stahl has since discovered that one of these transporter proteins plays a central role in the uptake of dietary fatty acids. Too much fat -- obesity -- affects more than 50 million Americans and is linked to many major causes of death in the United States, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

"Fatty acids comprise about 40 percent of the energy source we take in with our diet, and they play a vital role in regulating cell behavior and the actions of hormones," said Dr. Stahl, "so it is very exciting to find out how our cells can take up these nutrients and regulate their transport in different parts of the body.

"This research is at the heart of type 2 diabetes, one of the most predominant diseases of the 21st century," he added. "We do know that a major factor is having too many fatty acids cruising through the bloodstream. If we can block the uptake of fatty acids, there could ultimately be drugs developed that reduce obesity and help to stem type 2 diabetes."

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