Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. There is no cure for diabetes.
Many patients discover they have the diseases only after developing life-threatening complications.
Roesler's research is focused on a gene expressed in the liver that has a major role in sugar production in the body. Poor control of sugar production eventually leads to heart, kidney, circulatory, nerve and eye damage. One cause of high blood sugar is the overproduction of sugar in the liver. Roesler is studying a new class of drugs that regulate sugar production. He will also monitor the effect the drugs could have on the liver.