Researchers at Georgetown University conducted a study that suggests that undiagnosed pre-diabetes occurs at higher rate than was previously thought in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. R. Scott Turner, director of the Georgetown University Medical Center’s Memory Disorders Program, brought people into the study who had mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease so that he could investigate resveratrol, a compound found in red grapes and red wine. Resveratrol is thought to mimic the effects of a low calorie diet. When the study began, Dr. Turner said he was shocked by how many of the study’s participants had pre-diabetes.
“We know from animal studies that caloric restriction prevents diseases of aging such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Turner said. “On the flip side of the coin, having diabetes increases one’s risk of developing AD. So perhaps by improving glucose tolerance, we will prevent or delay both diabetes and Alzheimer’s.”
According to the Georgetown University news page, Dr. Turner is now investigating whether glucose intolerance or diabetes can lead to Alzheimer’s disease, if the inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s spurs glucose intolerance and if there is such a thing as a “vicious cycle” of Alzheimer’s and glucose intolerance.
“This result suggests that perhaps we should test all our patients with early Alzheimer’s for glucose intolerance,” Dr. Turner said. “It’s a simple, inexpensive study that reveals critical health information.”
Georgetown BioResearch Product Faire™ Event 2012
Georgetown University is on the cutting edge of research in the life sciences every year, and this latest research news is just one example of the type of studies to come from Georgetown researchers. Lab suppliers interested in marketing life science products and lab products may be interested to know that Georgetown University is a very well-funded market. In 2012, for example, Georgetown University received $53.5 million from the NIH. In 2011, the NIH also ranked Georgetown University 87th in the country for direct plus indirect costs in the life sciences, excluding R&D contracts and ARRA awards. The total costs that year were $56.1 million. For a complete list of departments receiving NIH funding at Georgetown University organized by department name, number of awards received and total funding awarded, please visit the NIH website.
In addition to receiving research grants from the NIH, Georgetown University also received $6 million from the NSF in 2012. In 2010, the NSF ranked Georgetown University 83rd in the country for total R&D expenditures in life sciences, the total being $131.4 million. For more information on NSF funding at Georgetown University, please visit the NSF website.
If you are a lab supplier interested in marketing life science products and lab products at life science marketing events in Washington, D.C., Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. invites you to attend our Georgetown BioResearch Product Faire™ Event on October 17, 2013. Last year, the Georgetown BioResearch Product Faire™ Event attracted 223 attendees. Of the attendees, 59 were purchasing agents, professors and post docs, and 24 were lab managers. The visitors came from 13 different research buildings and 21 departments across campus.
Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. is a full-service science research marketing and events-planning company that has been organizing life science marketing events at top research universities across the country for 20 years. If you’d like to market your life science products and lab products at life science marketing events closer to home, we encourage you to view our 2013 calendar of events. For more information on our Georgetown BioResearch Product Faire™ Event, or to view more detailed funding statistics for Georgetown University, click on the button below.
