At the German Diabetes Center (DDZ), new antidiabetics are to be developed with three partners from science and industry as part of the EU funding program Eurostars over the next three years. This international research project is cooperating with partners from Heidelberg and Sweden to advance the preclinical development of a new class of peptides. At the end of the project, the researchers want to identify a new active ingredient for the protection of the beta cell in the pancreas for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Düsseldorf (DDZ) – The research project, which is funded for a 3-year-period, aims to develop a new class of peptides at a preclinical stage. These are intended to trigger insulin secretion via a specific signal path and at the same time protect pancreatic beta cells and prevent the instability of atherosclerotic plaques. “With the help of in vitro studies, we will investigate the mechanisms of action of selected peptides and analyze the signal triggering in different cell types,” explains Prof. Dr. Michael Roden, Scientific Director and Spokesperson for the Board of the DDZ. “A highly innovative project that we hope will produce a new peptide at the end of the project to improve the treatment for people with diabetes,” continued Roden.
The joint project DIA-PEP aims at the preclinical development of a new class of peptides for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The DDZ works together with the partners: Follicum AB (Lund, Sweden), Lund University and Bioassay GmbH (Heidelberg). The research cooperation project is supported by Eurostars, a joint funding program of EUREKA and the European Commission. The DDZ also receives project funding from the BMBF.
(07.02.2020)
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