How muscle signals affect insulin resistance in adults with diabetes
Official title: Insulin-resistant Leanness and Insulin-Sensitive Obesity in Humans: Role of Skeletal Muscle Phosphoproteome and O-GlcNAc Glycoproteome
Funded at Wayne State University · NIH-11439720 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant explores how patterns of muscle protein signals relate to insulin resistance in adults, with the goal of better understanding why some lean people and some with obesity develop or avoid type 2 diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wayne State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Detroit, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,137,052 |
| NIH project number | 1RC2DK142611-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11439720 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with or at risk of type 2 diabetes, including those who are lean yet metabolically unhealthy or obese yet metabolically healthy, from whom muscle biopsy samples may be collected.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals who cannot provide muscle biopsy samples or who do not meet the metabolic criteria studied may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers at Wayne State University will study muscle samples from adults to map how two types of protein modifications change with insulin sensitivity. They will build a database of phosphorylation and O-GlcNAc glycosylation differences between insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant individuals using human biopsy samples. The project combines lab analysis with bioinformatics to connect molecular changes in muscle to diabetes risk and progression. Findings could point to new targets for preventing or treating type 2 diabetes by modulating muscle signaling pathways.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could identify molecular targets to improve insulin sensitivity and help tailor prevention or treatment strategies for adults at risk of or living with type 2 diabetes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown important links between muscle signaling and insulin action, but this project adds a comprehensive view by integrating phosphorylation and O-GlcNAc data.
Where this research is happening
-
Wayne State University
Detroit, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yi, Zhengping — Wayne State University
- Study coordinator: Yi, Zhengping
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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.