Project Grant K23DK140614

This federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847), provides $194,966 to The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York to conduct research on insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction.

The goal of the research is to demonstrate the existence of selective insulin resistance in humans, where high insulin levels continue to drive excess fat production (de novo lipogenesis) even when the liver becomes resistant to insulin's glucose-lowering effects. The research will use stable isotope tracers and insulin suppression tests to measure hepatic lipid metabolism and systemic insulin resistance in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease. Findings from the two specific research aims could support future clinical trials of "hyperinsulinemia reduction" as a novel therapeutic strategy for this condition. The project will be carried out over a 5-year period from August 2025 to May 2030 under the mentorship of Drs. Henry Ginsberg and Blandine Laferrere.