Project 467134

It is now estimated that over 450 million people have diabetes. The majority of these people have type 2 diabetes (T2D), which is the type of diabetes where the body does not respond to the actions of insulin. To improve the health and quality of life of these individuals, many drugs have been developed to help lower their elevated blood sugar levels. The most commonly prescribed and 1st-line medication for people with T2D is metformin, which interestingly has also been shown to cause weight loss by increasing the production of a protein called growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15). Therefore, GDF15 is being investigated as a potential drug for T2D, as it can also lower blood sugar. However, all new drugs being pursued for the treatment of T2D must also undergo studies on how they affect the heart, since heart disease represents the number 1 cause of death for people with T2D. In particular, people with T2D often have a heart disease where their heart cannot relax as well between each pump, which is known as diabetic cardiomyopathy. Unfortunately, there are no specific treatments available for diabetic cardiomyopathy. Thus, there is a major demand for drugs that improve how the heart relaxes in people with diabetes. As there is limited information regarding GDF15 and its effects on heart function, more research is required before GDF15 can be used to treat obesity and/or T2D. We aim to better understand how GDF15 impacts heart function in a mouse model of T2D. In addition, we will study whether GDF15s actions on the heart are dependent on weight loss. We hypothesize that GDF15 will improve diabetic cardiomyopathy independent of weight loss. If we are correct, it will help us better understand how GDF15 works and progress GDF15 as a potential medication for T2D.