$680K Grant to Study Heart Complications of Type 2 Diabetes

The Medical College of Wisconsin received a five-year, $680,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to investigate cardiovascular complications in type 2 diabetes.

Michael E. Widlansky, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine and of pharmacology and toxicology, is principal investigator for the grant.

Most common in those over age 40, type 2 diabetes cases tripled in the 30 years from 1973-2003. It currently affects more than 7 percent of the U.S. population and leads to significant health complications including heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney damage and lower-limb amputations.

A member of the Medical College’s Cardiovascular Center, Dr. Widlansky is studying the cellular events that cause humans with type 2 diabetes to experience a decrease in naturally available nitric oxide in the lining of their blood vessels. Nitric oxide plays a key role in adjusting the diameter of vessels for proper blood flow. The deficiency of nitric oxide availability in humans with type 2 diabetes causes blood vessel dysfunction and promotes the development of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. The reduction in blood flow can lead to organ damage, heart attack and stroke.

By researching the cellular activities associated with blood vessel dysfunction in humans with type 2 diabetes, Dr. Widlansky may uncover novel risk factors and potential targets for treatment.

The project described was supported by Award Number 1K23HL089326-01A2 from the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute or the National Institutes of Health.