2008-07-22 23:42:07 -
www.metabolon.com - Metabolon, Inc. Lorra Gosselin, 919-287-3380 lgosselin@metabolon.com www.metabolon.com Metabolon, Inc., the leader in metabolomics-driven biomarker discovery and analysis, today announced that it is collaborating with Ralph A. DeFronzo, M.D. and colleagues at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The partnership will help drive development of Metabolon's pre-diabetes diagnostic products as
well as provide valuable data for insulin resistance and diabetes-related research.
"Our team has continuously sought key technologies that can best identify novel biomarkers relating to diabetes," Dr. DeFronzo said. "Metabolon's global biochemical discovery platform will shed light on the biochemical changes related to increasing insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction which contribute to the development of diabetes."
Metabolon will be analyzing samples from various studies conducted by Dr. DeFronzo's team to discover and validate biochemical biomarkers reflective of insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction. These markers will be used to help further develop Metabolon's diagnostic tests in the area of insulin resistance, and how this relates to risk of developing metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
"It is through collaborations like this one with Dr. DeFronzo's team that Metabolon will be able to offer a unique diagnostic test that can help physicians to identify asymptomatic, pre-diabetic patients years before they become diabetic," said John Ryals, Ph.D., chief executive at Metabolon. "With this never-before available information in hand, doctors can actively intervene with lifestyle modifications or drug therapies which may delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes."
Dr. DeFronzo's research team has carried out many clinical studies in the area of diabetes research, specifically addressing the major pathophysiological pathways that lead to the development of type 2 diabetes, including insulin resistance and pancreatic dysfunction. Upon receiving American Diabetes Association's prestigious Banting Award at this year's ADA meeting, Dr. DeFronzo gave an illuminating lecture on type 2 diabetes outlining the multiple organs and metabolic pathways involved in a patient's progression to diabetes.
About Dr. Ralph DeFronzo
Dr. DeFronzo is professor of medicine and chief of the Diabetes Division at the UT Health Science Center. He is also a staff physician for the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Audie L. Murphy Division, as well as deputy director of the Texas Diabetes Institute, a facility of the University Health System.
Dr. DeFronzo has combined the disciplines of clinical and basic laboratory investigation to explore type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance syndrome. He was the first to provide unequivocal evidence that type 2 diabetic patients were severely resistant to insulin. In addition to his many basic and fundamental clinical observations in diabetes, Dr. DeFronzo has made major contributions to the development of new interventional strategies for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Dr. DeFronzo has been an active ADA volunteer in many scientific, clinical, and educational activities for the last 30 years. As a member of the ADA's Legal Advisory Committee, Dr. DeFronzo has organized a group of U.S. diabetologists who assist the legal community in preventing discrimination against individuals with diabetes. Dr. DeFronzo has published over 500 primary articles in peer-reviewed journals and has had 36 consecutive years of funding from the National Institute of Health (through 2011) and 20 consecutive years of Veterans Affairs funding for his research.
About Metabolon
Metabolon is a diagnostics and services company offering the industry's leading biochemical profiling platform. Metabolon's patented platform provides a global analysis of complex biological samples for the discovery of markers and pathways associated with drug action and disease. This metabolomics-driven approach enables the identification of biomarkers useful for the development of a wide range of diagnostics and provides insight into complex biochemical processes such as drug action, toxicology and bioprocess optimization. For more information about Metabolon, please visit www.metabolon.com.
Editor's Note:
Insulin resistance is a condition where the body's tissues are less responsive to insulin, the hormone that controls blood glucose levels and its metabolism. Insulin resistance is associated with people who are overweight, physically inactive or have other metabolic risk factors such as high blood pressure and dyslipidemia.
Insulin resistance is estimated to affect about one-third of the adult population in the U.S. alone--approximately 75 million people. Known as one of the primary contributors to the development of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance is characteristically an asymptomatic condition that can precede the development of diabetes by over ten years. People with insulin resistance may appear healthy, however if undetected and unmanaged, insulin resistance can lead to long-term chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Ralph DeFronzo's Research
At the recently held ADA 2008 meeting, Dr. DeFronzo reported results from the ACT NOW trial, a study he spearheaded and coordinated to test whether an insulin sensitizer therapeutic, such as Takeda Pharmaceutical's ACTOS (pioglitazone), could be an effective drug intervention at preventing type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetic subjects, identified by impaired glucose tolerance, were recruited into the placebo-controlled study and ACTOS was shown to prevent onset of diabetes by 81%. In the past, other clinical studies such as the NIH-sponsored Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) have shown that lifestyle intervention (diet and exercise) and an older class insulin sensitizer metformin can prevent diabetes in pre-diabetics by 58% and 31%, respectively.
In his lecture, Dr. DeFronzo highlighted important observations from his other clinical studies to relate the scientific rationale of treating pre-diabetic patients, specifically describing the pathophysiological conditions present in patients before the onset of diabetes, pointing out that significant insulin resistance and pancreatic beta cell dysfunction are observed not only in impaired glucose tolerant subjects (80% beta cell function loss) but also in insulin resistant "normal" glucose tolerant subjects (50% beta cell function loss). Therefore, he supported the need for clinical studies to address the effectiveness of treating pre-diabetics and diabetics with novel intervention paradigms in light of this new evidence.
Partnership to Accelerate Pre-Diabetes Diagnostic Development
