Research Activity

Investigators in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism conduct basic and clinical research in the areas of diabetes, integrated mechanisms causing obesity, metabolic signaling, lung and brain development and rare genetic lipid disorders.

Our faculty have many collaborative research efforts with other disciplines including adult and pediatric hematology, pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, pediatric human genetics and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Our overall goal is to build a robust, multi-disciplinary program that supports both laboratory-based and patient-based research in our clinical care, research and education programs for endocrinology disorders.

The core of our basic science research takes place at the UC Reading campus.

Clinical Research & Clinical Trials

Clinical research trials are studies involving human subjects. Before a drug or treatment protocol is tested widely, it goes through years of testing in cells, tissue culture and pre-clinical animal models. The process is closely regulated by the government and monitored by institution’s Institutional Review Board (IRB).

There are numerous types of clinical trials, each with a different purpose: prevention, screening, diagnostics or treatment. Patients who participate in clinical trials are followed for an extended period of time (sometimes over their lifetime) after the trial is closed.

Government-funded clinical trials at the UC Academic Health Center can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov. Please note this is not an all-inclusive list.

Clinical trials in the division focus on new treatments for diabetes and provide opportunities for physicians and patients to have access to the latest medications and treatments.