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UT RESEARCHER TARGETS COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES WITH AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION GRANT

 

            Memphis, Tennessee (March 28, 2004) – Edwards A. Park, PhD, professor of pharmacology with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has been awarded a three-year American Diabetes Association grant totaling nearly $300,000 to study hyperglycemia, which is responsible for many of the complications associated with type II diabetes.

            Dr. Park’s research focuses on defining the mechanisms that affect changes in the liver’s production of glucose and lipoproteins. “We hope to identify novel proteins that can be therapeutic targets for the long-term regulation of glucose production in the liver. If we can achieve this goal, we should be able to make a diabetic’s life much easier by reducing the amount and severity of complications,” said Dr. Park.

            “Dr. Park’s laboratory is also funded by a National Institutes of Health grant to study the regulation of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation.  His research is leading the way in our understanding of the development of hyperglycemia in type II diabetes,” said Burt M. Sharp, MD, UTHSC Van Vleet Chair of Excellence in Pharmacology.

            Having earned his doctorate from the Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Park continued his education with a postdoctoral fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

            The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation’s leading non-profit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy.  The ADA funds research, publishes scientific findings, and is actively involved in advocating for scientific research and for the rights of people with diabetes.

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