Diabetes Research

The Considine lab, led by Robert Considine, PhD, is focused on understanding the contribution of obesity to the development of diabetes and its complications. Current studies focus on effects of bariatric surgery to alter gut hormone release and improve glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity. In collaboration with David Kareken, PhD in Neurology, the Considine lab is utilizing neuroimaging techniques to understand the reward system response to food cues in human subjects. Specifically, the lab is recruiting subjects that will undergo bariatric surgery to assess how the central neural processing of sweet taste differs after surgery.

The Rare and Atypical Diabetes Network (RADIANT) study aims to discover and define rare and atypical forms of diabetes. These refined diagnoses will be used by diabetes researchers, physicians, and patients to accurately explain their disease. The study entails genetic and clinical testing for enrolled participants. 

For more information, please contact study coordinator Kelly Moors at kmoors@iupui.edu.

Swapnil Khare, MD, is engaged in several clinical studies to improve care in patients with cystic fibrosis. Her study is looking into patient barriers to getting screening oral glucose tolerance tests in patients with cystic fibrosis. She is also studying the effect of highly effective modular therapy for cystic fibrosis on nutrition, weight and obesity, as well as cystic fibrosis related diabetes and bone health. She is participating in a national study looking at the accuracy of continuous glucose monitors in pregnant patients with cystic fibrosis.

Cary Mariash, MD, has been engaged in both basic science research on thyroid hormone action and multiple clinical research studies for over 40 years. While he no longer has a basic science laboratory, he continues to participate in clinic research studies. He currently participates in several industry related studies on a new drug for the treatment of Cushing’s syndrome and he is the site principal investigator at Indiana University for the NIH sponsored Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes (GRADE) study. Based on his previous basic science work he is a consultant with the University of Minnesota pulmonary group on the intratracheal installation of T3 for the treatment of severe Covid-19 pneumonia.

Dr. Saeed’s areas of interest include studying the interplay between the exocrine and endocrine pancreas and how the gut is involved in the pathophysiology of diabetes. In collaboration with the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, she is actively participating in several NIH funded and industry sponsored studies and clinical trials. These include studies investigating the incidence of pancreatic cancer in adults with new onset diabetes, identifying markers that differentiate pancreatogenic diabetes from Type 2 diabetes, and looking at the incidence of different etiologies of diabetes including Type 1 diabetes occurring after acute pancreatitis. She is also the site Co-Principal Investigator for REVITA-T2Di, which is an industry funded clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of duodenal mucosal resurfacing in subjects with Type 2 diabetes on insulin therapy. She is working alongside Dr. Evans-Molina in the NIH sponsored The Rare and Atypical Diabetes Network (RADIANT) study which aims to discover and define rare and atypical diabetes. Besides diabetes, her other major interest is in medical education and she is working on scholarly projects aimed at increasing the use of bedside teaching in clinical settings.

Dr. Templin’s research focuses on understanding the relationship between islet immune responses and beta cell dysfunction and death in the setting of both major forms of diabetes. Emphasis is placed on the concept that beta cell intrinsic properties are drivers of islet inflammation and immune responses, and together these promote a system of beta cell dysfunction and loss leading to diabetes. The Templin Lab investigates underappreciated mechanisms of inflammatory, lytic beta cell death and whether such forms of death can drive islet inflammation and further promote beta cell loss in diabetes. The Templin Lab also interrogates molecular mechanisms that underly amyloid-induced islet inflammation and beta cell loss in type 2 diabetes. These lines of research utilize in vitro models of beta cell death and in vivo models of islet amyloid formation, islet inflammation and beta cell loss to examine whether beta cells themselves promote islet inflammation in diabetes. Through this work, the Templin Lab aims to advance our understanding of beta cell loss in diabetes and improve the health of individuals afflicted with diabetes.