The University of Michigan Health System has earned a $9.1 million core grant from the National Institutes of Health to improve disease diagnosis through metabolic profiling.
With the support, the U-M will create the Michigan Regional Comprehensive Metabolomics Research Core, one of only three centers in the country that will help researchers examine small molecules called metabolites to detect changes in cell behavior and organ function.
The sum of all metabolites at any given moment -- the metabolome -- is a form of chemical readout of the state of health of the cell or body and provides a wealth of information about nutrition, infection, health and disease status.
From diagnosis to disease follow-up, metabolomics may transform the ability to understand the mechanisms underlying disease and help investigators develop new strategies for treatment.
"Physicians and scientists around the world are beginning to realize that metabolic profiling will have a significant impact on the diagnosis, prevention and monitoring of many diseases," says Charles Burant, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center, and the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Professor of Metabolism at the U-M.
Burant who is experienced in metabolomics, diabetes and obesity research is the principal investigator of the grant, with Stephen Brown, Ph.D., serving as program coordinator of the new regional metabolomics research core.
Several University of Michigan investigators will lead additional components of the core including Robert Kennedy, Ph.D., Hobart H. Willard Professor of Chemistry; Subramanian Pennathur, M.B.B.S., associate professor of internal medicine; Brian Athey, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics; Naisyn Wang, Ph.D., professor of statistics, and Barbara Mirel, Ph.D., associate research scientist at the School of Education. Grace Wu will serve as administrator.
'/>"/>
| Contact: Shantell M. Kirkendoll smkirk@umich.edu 734-764-2220 University of Michigan Health System Source:Eurekalert |