Funding outcome

Diabetes is a disease of poor blood sugar control due to the body either failing to produce an important hormone known as insulin, or the body failing to respond to that insulin. Of interest, heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability in individuals living with diabetes. Yet, it goes largely undiagnosed until reaching later stages of the disease when opportunity for treatment is small. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, but our understanding of diabetic heart disease in women is very poor. One reason for this is that the models to study diabetic heart disease in female animals are lacking. Our study aims to establish a model of female diabetic heart disease that better mimics the human disease. Since around 80% of women will be pregnant at least once in their lifetime, and pregnancy is associated with enormous changes to both metabolism and heart function, we believe that a prior pregnancy will make female mice more vulnerable to developing diabetes when provided a western-like diet that leads to weight gain and obesity. Furthermore, we predict that this approach will also lead to diabetic heart disease in female animals. In developing this model, we will be able to investigate the distinct mechanisms that underlie diabetic heart disease in male and female animals. Our long-term goal is to create tailored therapies that can lower death rates and disease risk in both men and women.