How low leptin levels affect the body's response to low blood sugar
Official title: Evaluating the role of hypoleptinemia in impaired counterregulatory responses to hypoglycemia
Funded at Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr · NIH-11291860 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Looks at whether low leptin levels make the body's natural defenses against low blood sugar weaker in people with diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baton Rouge, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $375,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK131165-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11291860 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with insulin-treated diabetes, especially those who have frequent hypoglycemia or reduced awareness of low blood sugar, would be the most likely to benefit or be future participants.
✕Less likely to help
People without diabetes or those whose hypoglycemia is caused by non-metabolic conditions (for example certain tumors) are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
This project looks into why people with diabetes sometimes lose the hormonal alarms that raise blood sugar when it gets too low. The team will study how repeated low blood sugars, exercise, and alcohol can lower leptin and push the body into a 'pseudostarvation' state that weakens those alarms. They will run lab-based and preclinical experiments to find drug targets that might stop that switch to starvation and keep the counterregulatory response working. If successful, this could point to new ways to prevent dangerous low blood sugar episodes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to new treatments that prevent or reduce dangerous low blood sugar episodes and help people with diabetes maintain safer glucose control.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work from this group provides early evidence that leptin signaling affects the hypoglycemia response, but translating these preclinical findings into patient treatments is still novel and unproven.
Where this research is happening
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Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr
Baton Rouge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcdougal, David Harry — Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr
- Study coordinator: Mcdougal, David Harry
Related research
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Treating impaired hypoglycemia awareness in type 1 diabetes with targeted education and technology
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.