By finding what causes cells to respond to stress, scientists may be able to figure out how to reduce stress on a patient s body during a trauma, surgery or the treatment of a chronic disease. This research will advance our understanding of the development of obesity, a growing problem around the world and one of the major risk factors for diabetes. Prof. Roesler will study a protein that controls the expression of a number of genes involved in determining how the human body utilizes nutrients. This regulator protein plays a key role in determining, for example, how much fat tissue the body develops. He hopes to identify new molecular targets for drug treatment of obesity.
Respiratory disease is one of the major health problems in young children and animals.
By studying the responses to various immunizations, her research could lead to the reduction of viral infections and develop vaccinations to reduce viral respiratory diseases in human infants and calves. In addition, Venkat Gopalakrishnan of the U of S department of pharmacology will receive a Saskatchewan-CIHR RPP grant for his diabetes research. In patients with delayed-onset diabetes, blood insulin levels are higher than normal. Increased insulin levels can promote the release of a substance called endothelin-1 which can contribute to high blood pressure and other vascular complications. Prof. Gopalakrishnan wants to investigate in rat studies whether administering an endothelin-1 blocker will prevent these serious vascular complications.