Metabolon and Joslin Diabetes Center Announce Research CollaborationJoint Biomarker Research Related to Insulin Resistance and DiabetesRESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC. (November 18, 2008) – Metabolon, Inc., the leader in metabolomics-driven biomarker discovery and development, and the Joslin Diabetes Center, the world's preeminent diabetes research and clinical care organization, today announced a collaboration to carry out human clinical and animal studies in the area of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. This collaboration agreement includes a series of studies to be conducted using Metabolon's biochemical profiling technology. The research teams at Joslin Diabetes Center, led by Mary-Elizabeth Patti, an investigator at Joslin and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, expect these human and animal biomarker discovery studies will help them better understand the progression of insulin resistance (IR) as it relates to the development of diabetes. Metabolon will also assess the translatability of its human IR biomarkers when carrying out the Joslin diabetic animal model studies. "Through these studies, we hope to gain insights into new biomarkers of insulin resistance that will help guide and increase our understanding of the underlying physiology of insulin resistant patients and their corresponding susceptibility to develop further insulin resistance and potentially type 2 diabetes," explained Dr. Patti. Metabolon and Joslin investigators will collaborate to further validate human biochemical biomarkers of insulin resistance, a condition that affects over a quarter of the U.S. adult population. Metabolon is working with academic centers worldwide on the development of an insulin resistance diagnostic test. "Today, no simple test exists that is capable of detecting and identifying insulin resistant patients. Mechanism-based biomarker diagnostics are a much-needed tool in the identification and management of patients at risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease," said John Ryals, CEO of Metabolon. "Our partnership with Joslin gives us the opportunity to further validate the biomarkers of insulin resistance that we have identified." About Joslin Diabetes CenterJoslin Diabetes Center is the world's preeminent diabetes research and clinical care organization. Joslin is dedicated to ensuring people with diabetes live long, healthy lives and offers real hope and progress toward diabetes prevention and a cure for the disease. Founded in 1898 by Elliott P. Joslin, M.D., Joslin is an independent nonprofit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School. For more information about Joslin, call 1-800-JOSLIN-1 or visit www.joslin.org. About Metabolon Metabolon is a diagnostics and services company
offering the industry's leading biochemical profiling
platform. Metabolon's patented platform provides a
global analysis of complex biological samples for the
discovery of markers and pathways associated with drug
action and disease. This metabolomics-driven approach
enables the identification of biomarkers useful for
the development of a wide range of diagnostics and
provides insight into complex biochemical processes
such as drug action, toxicology and bioprocess
optimization. For more information about Metabolon,
please visit www.metabolon.com. |