The CTSA grant, the largest infrastructure and training award from the NIH, supports the translation of research discoveries into improved patient care.

Current diabetes drugs often rely on GLP-1 receptor agonists, mimicking the hormone’s effect to stimulate insulin. The discovery by Duke University School of Medicine that pancreatic alpha cells produce bioactive GLP-1 suggests that harnessing or boosting this local hormone production might be a powerful and more natural approach to improving blood sugar control.

Access to unbiased medical information is linked to legal use, but high cost of legal products is a barrier for some patients. The new results will help keep patients safe by guiding interventions to promote access to safer, licensed products.