Sue Brown, MD, Associate Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Sue A. Brown, MD, of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, is the recipient, with Daniel Cherñavvsky, MD, of a $255,855 grant from the Governor’s Virginia Research Investment Fund, which supports promising technologies at Virginia’s universities that have strong commercial prospects. The award was one of two announced in December 2017.
Dr. Brown and Dr. Cherñavvsky, who conduct research at UVA’s Center for Diabetes Technology, were awarded the grant for their project “Eliminating the Neurocognitive Consequences of Diabetes: the Virginia Hypoglycemia Safety Project,” on which they are co-PIs. The competition was administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). Their project has received approximately $292,000 in matching funds.
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe commented: “Virginia’s colleges and universities serve as our laboratories for new, innovative technologies. These grants demonstrate how we can strengthen the new Virginia economy by bringing together innovative campus research and creative business ideas. I am proud that we can support this important work at our higher education institutions and further build upon Virginia’s reputation as national leader in research and cutting-edge technology.”
More about the project:
The objective of the Virginia Hypoglycemia Safety Project is to test a Diabetes Safety System (DSS) which will ensure sustained prevention of hypoglycemia in people with diabetes. The DSS will aim to eliminate the numerous physiological, behavioral, neurocognitive, and economic consequences of extreme low blood sugar events in children and older adults – the age groups that are most vulnerable to the negative effects of hypoglycemia.
To achieve this goal, we will conduct a clinical trial that will test the ability of the DSS to ensure sustained prevention of low and high blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. We postulate that stable blood sugar levels, e.g. increased time in the target blood sugar range (70-180mg/dl) and reduced occurrence and risk for hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic events, will result in improved cognitive function. While artificial pancreas trials are ongoing, including three studies led by the UVA CDT, no studies have directly tested the neurocognitive impact of this emerging technology; thus, this investigation would be the first to bridge this knowledge gap.
The DSS will have two components: Local, encompassing the patient in a “safety bubble” run off consumer electronics (e.g. a smart phone), and Global, running in the Cloud. Risk analysis, pattern recognition, predictive analytics, and closed-loop artificial pancreas will be deployed as different layers of the DSS. It is anticipated that at the conclusion of this project the DSS will be ready for clinical acceptance, regulatory approval, and subsequent commercialization.
Congratulations Dr. Brown!
Filed Under: Top News
Tags: Endocrinology