Diabetes Clinical Trials in Birmingham, AL

This study proposes to carefully examine the hypothesis that human inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be effectively employed as a future therapeutic option for individuals with diabetic retinopathy and macular ischemia. iPSCs will be generated from the peripheral blood cells of subjects with diabetes and age matched controls. The human iPSC cells will be used to generate mesoderm cells for injection into the vitreous cavity of diabetic rodents and primate eyes. The ability of mesoderm cells to generate endothelial cells and pericytes in areas of degenerated capillaries will be examined. The human iPSCs will also be used to generate hematopoietic CD34+CD45+ cells. The combination of CD34+CD45+ cells derived from iPSCs and iPSC derived mesoderm will be examined in combination for their potentially beneficial effect to enhance the vessel formation. Read Less

There is a fundamental gap in understanding the maternal and neonatal effects of antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) administration in women with threatened preterm birth (PTB) who have diabetes. Since the initial discovery of ACS for neonatal benefit in 1972, more than 40 randomized controlled trials have been performed evaluating its efficacy. However, none of these trials have included women with T2DM, and there is limited data among women with gestational diabetes. While ACS have been shown to reduce neonatal morbidity associated with PTB in non-diabetic women, the side effects of ACS (maternal hyperglycemia and fetal hyperinsulinemia) may mitigate the neonatal benefit of ACS in women with diabetes. Before neonatal benefit of ACS can be evaluated in this population, the first step is to optimize maternal glycemic control after ACS. Previous studies evaluating maternal hyperglycemia after ACS have been limited by small sample size, retrospective study design, or insufficient glucose data. Use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in a randomized clinical trial provides a unique opportunity to overcome these challenges. Our long-term goal is to improve maternal and child health among women with diabetes as an independently funded clinical researcher. The research objectives of this proposal are to test the efficacy of three treatment strategies at achieving maternal glycemic control after ACS and evaluate the association between maternal glycemic control and neonatal outcomes. Our central hypothesis is that treatment with a continuous insulin infusion will improve maternal glycemic control, which is key to improving neonatal outcomes, but at the cost of less patient satisfaction and more health resource utilization. This hypothesis will be tested by pursuing the following specific aims: 1) Test the efficacy of three treatment strategies (addition of sliding scale insulin, up-titration of home insulin, and continuous insulin infusion) at achieving maternal glycemic control after ACS and 2) Quantify the association between maternal glycemic control after ACS and neonatal morbidity. Completion of these aims will determine the optimal strategy to achieve maternal glycemic control after ACS and inform a larger, multicenter trial to improve neonatal outcomes among women with diabetes and threatened PTB. Read Less

It has been shown that individuals with type 2 diabetes have higher blood sugar throughout the night than individuals without type 2 diabetes. However, it is still unknown if this rise in blood sugar can be controlled using medications. This study will examine the effects of three different diabetes treatments to determine if they improve night time blood sugars. Participants will be randomly assigned for 8 weeks to one of the following three groups: GROUP 1: Insulin. Participants will be instructed on self-injecting insulin glargine once-daily in the morning. The dose will be increased by the study team to avoid episodes of low blood sugar and to maintain fasting blood sugar concentrations between 70 to 180 mg/dl. GROUP 2: Metformin. Participants will start the drug (500 mg twice daily) with meals. After 72 hours and in the absence of side effects, they will increase the dose to 500 mg with breakfast and 1,000 mg with supper. After a further 72 hours and in the absence of side effects, they will increase the dose to 1,000 mg twice daily with meals and continue until the end of the trial. The dose will be adjusted by the study team to maintain fasting blood sugar concentrations between 70 to 180 mg/dl. GROUP 3: Dorzagliatin. This medication dose will be 75 mg twice daily. The investigators anticipate fasting glucose concentrations will be between 70 to 180 mg/dl since the dose of this medication cannot be titrated. Read Less

Brief Summary: The FREEDOM study aims to develop a scalable intervention to improve type 2 diabetes mellitus control in low-income Black adults in the Deep South. The intervention targets social determinants of health (SDoH) such as reduced healthcare access, poverty, transportation barriers, and food insecurity. Read Less

Black individuals are more likely to have decreased insulin sensitivity which results in a high risk for the development of cardiometabolic disease. The reasons for this are incompletely understood. Natriuretic peptides (NPs) are hormones produced by the heart that play a role in regulating the metabolic health of an individual. Low circulating level of NPs is an important contributor to increased risk for diabetes. The NP levels are relatively lower among Black individuals thus affecting their metabolic health and putting them at a higher risk for diabetes. This study aims to test the hypothesis that by augmenting NP levels using sacubitril/valsartan, among Black Individuals one can improve their metabolic health (as measured by insulin sensitivity \& energy expenditure) and help establish the role of NPs in the underlying mechanism behind increased risk for cardiometabolic disease in these population. Read Less

The UAB Cardiovascular Research Biobank (CARBON) will be a resource that contains biological materials, such as DNA samples, in addition to health and personal information on a large number of people over time. It will be set up so that it can be used in the future as a resource for researchers undertaking a wide range of medical research. Read Less

This is a multicenter randomized clinical trial of 828 overweight and obese individuals with gestational diabetes designed to compare standard to intensive glycemic targets. Read Less