On May 6th, 2024, the University of Iowa’s Fraternal Order of Diabetes Research Center (FOEDRC) held its highly anticipated Annual Diabetes Research Day. This event highlights cutting-edge research and fosters collaboration among numerous faculty members, students, and trainees in the field of diabetes and metabolic disorders. The day commenced with a series of engaging symposiums in the morning, setting a promising tone for the rest of the event. Topics ranged from ongoing clinical research projects to cutting-edge cellular and molecular laboratory research.
After the symposiums, the event transitioned to a poster session showcasing 29 diverse posters that presented a wide array of research projects by students and faculty members. This session provided an excellent opportunity for researchers to share their findings, engage with peers, and receive feedback from experts in the field. Posters were judged for their effectiveness by faculty.
Randy Seeley PhD, Director of the Michigan Nutrition Obesity Research Center was the keynote speaker this year. His talk, titled, “What Bariatric Surgery Tells Us About the Role of the Gut in Metabolic Diseases,” explored the complex interplay between bariatric surgery and gut function, and how these can be leveraged to treat diabetes.
Winners of the poster contest were as follows. The FOEDRC congratulates these trainees for their excellent posters:
1st place: Defining the mechanisms of FGF21-mediated reversal of metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Jesse P. Rose, Iltan Aklan and Matthew J. Potthoff
2nd place: Adipocyte Spheroid Model Development for Physiologically Relevant Toxin Screening. Jesse Leszewski, R Behan-Bush, M Schrodt, E Sander, A Klingelhutz, James Ankrum
3rd place: NADPH Oxidase 4 Contributes to Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction. Brandon M. Schickling, Franziska Bollmann, Anna Schwarzkopf, Francis J. Miller Jr
And
SerpinA3N in Leptin Receptor Neurons Regulates Metabolic and Glucose Homeostasis. Deng-Fu Guo, Alexis Olson, Kamal Rahmouni
The 2024 Annual Diabetes Research Day was a resounding success, underscoring the University of Iowa’s commitment to advancing diabetes research. The event showcased the remarkable work of the FOEDRC researchers and provided a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and future collaborations.