University of Michigan

The Michigan Diabetes Research Center (MDRC) is a multidisciplinary unit of the University of Michigan funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases/National Institute of Health.

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the United States has reached epidemic proportions and accounts for a huge national burden of morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditures. The Michigan Diabetes Research Center (MDRC) builds on the 35-year experience of the Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center (MDRTC) as a key component of the research effort to promote new discoveries and enhance scientific progress through support of cutting-edge basic and clinical research related to the etiology and complications of diabetes. The MDRC has expanded beyond the traditional MDRTC research base at the University of Michigan (UM) to include members engaged in diabetes-related research at three nearby Regional Partner Institutions, Michigan State University (MSU), Wayne State University (WSU) and the University of Toledo (UT).

The goal of the MDRC is to establish, promote, and enhance multidisciplinary and collaborative basic biomedical and clinical research among member investigators studying diabetes, its complications, and related endocrine and metabolic disorders. The missions of the MDRC are to create an environment that supports important and innovative research; raise awareness and interest in fundamental and clinical diabetes research; enhance diabetes research education and training opportunities for patients, students, scientists, and clinicians; attract and retain early stage investigators and investigators new to diabetes research; provide core services that leverage funding and unique expertise; foster interdisciplinary collaborations, especially in the emerging areas of research, to catalyze new ideas and scientific approaches; and promote the translation of scientific discoveries from bench to bedside to community to improve public health.

The specific aims of the MDRC are to:

• Coordinate activities that raise awareness of, interest in, and support for basic and translational research in diabetes, its complications, and related endocrine and metabolic disorders at the University of Michigan and beyond.
• Advance learning and promote scientific exchange related to diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism.
• Provide research cores that provide shared, specialized technical resources and expertise that enhance the efficiency, productivity, and multidisciplinary nature of research performed by MDRC investigators.
• Support a Pilot and Feasibility studies grant program.