Jose Florez / en Wed, 06 Sep 23 08:00:00 -0400 New research alliance with Novo Nordisk to identify therapeutic targets for type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases /news/broad-institute-mit-and-harvard-announces-new-research-alliance-novo-nordisk-identify <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>New research alliance with Novo Nordisk to identify therapeutic targets for type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases</h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Allessandra DiCorato</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-09-06T08:00:00-04:00" class="datetime">September 6, 2023</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/news">News</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>New research alliance with Novo Nordisk to identify therapeutic targets for type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases</h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The collaboration aims to identify disease-modifying interventions, with the goal of improving standards of care for people living with type 2 diabetes and cardiac fibrosis</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By ӳý Communications </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-09-06T08:00:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, September 6, 2023 - 08:00" class="datetime">September 6, 2023</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/news/images/2020/Generic-ӳý-image-2.jpg?h=d3e04ee7&itok=QcLbCW9q 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/news/images/2020/Generic-ӳý-image-2.jpg?h=d3e04ee7&itok=QcLbCW9q 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/news/images/2020/Generic-ӳý-image-2.jpg?h=d3e04ee7&itok=p4HMNKrZ 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/jpeg" width="736" height="520"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/news/images/2020/Generic-ӳý-image-2.jpg?h=d3e04ee7&itok=vCd2yTDe 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/jpeg" width="641" height="451"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/news/images/2020/Generic-ӳý-image-2.jpg?h=d3e04ee7&itok=h83DqsMv 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/jpeg" width="706" height="417"/> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/news/images/2020/Generic-ӳý-image-2.jpg?h=d3e04ee7&itok=WfUrDBY4 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/jpeg" width="499" height="294"/> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/news/images/2020/Generic-ӳý-image-2.jpg?h=d3e04ee7&itok=WfUrDBY4" alt="Photo of ӳý sign outside of ӳý on Main Street in Cambridge" title="Photo of ӳý sign outside of ӳý on Main Street in Cambridge" typeof="foaf:Image" /> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__description"> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous" /></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/taxonomy/term/2606/feed&title=" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=+/taxonomy/term/2606/feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=&body=/taxonomy/term/2606/feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-narrow paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The ӳý of MIT and Harvard today announced a new research alliance with Novo Nordisk aimed at addressing critical unmet clinical needs in diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases. The collaboration will focus on advancing three programs over the next three years. Two programs aim to identify drug targets for clinically important subtypes of type 2 diabetes, which affects more than 37 million people in the United States alone, and one program aims to unravel the genetic roots of cardiac fibrosis, or scarring of the heart, which occurs in many cardiovascular diseases that can lead to heart dysfunction and failure.</p> <p>“Diabetes and cardiac fibrosis are two conditions in dire need of new therapies,” said Todd Golub, director of the ӳý. “These kinds of cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations that span both academia and industry are key to making the breakthroughs that patients all over the world need.”</p> <p>“The conditions we’re exploring impact millions of people worldwide,” said Uli Stilz, head of Novo Nordisk’s Bio Innovation Hub in Boston. “Together, we’re able to leverage the full breadth of scientific expertise between our two organizations. This collaboration has the potential not only to accelerate our understanding of the diseases, but also potentially enable scientific advancements in disease-modifying interventions — a true game changer in addressing cardiometabolic diseases.”</p> <h2>Identifying therapeutic targets for diabetes subtypes</h2> <p>Most current diabetes treatments target high blood sugar, in part because it has been challenging to fully understand the disease’s underlying heterogeneity, as there are many root causes for developing type 2 diabetes. The two diabetes programs will aim to identify therapeutic targets for both non-weight mediated insulin resistance and loss of beta cell function. For both patient populations, there are no safe and effective therapies for reversing disease.</p> <p>The aim is that this collaboration will lead to treatments that address the cause and not just symptoms of disease. The alliance will utilize state-of-the-art genetics and genomics methods to interrogate subtypes of diabetes and, with ӳý’s <a href="/cdot">Center for the Development of Therapeutics</a>, probe the relationships between genes and pathways that could be therapeutic targets using large-scale cell screens. </p> <p>“This is potentially transformative,” said <a href="/node/8503">Jose Florez</a>, who will co-direct the new initiative. Florez is an institute member at the ӳý, where he directs the <a href="/node/8502">Diabetes Research Group</a>. He is also chair of the Department of Medicine at MGH. “Right now we have nothing that reverses diabetes. Addressing these processes at the root, rather than simply treating the symptoms, would really change how we treat this disease.”</p> <h2>Investigating cardiac fibrosis</h2> <p>The third program, focused on cardiac fibrosis, will leverage genetics, genomics, and machine learning to investigate the role of cardiac fibrosis in heart disease. The team aims to identify and validate genes that could serve as therapeutic targets to inhibit or possibly reverse fibrosis — a condition that has few effective therapies.</p> <p>“I think this will be a framework for future investigation into the cardiometabolic space,” said <a href="/node/465846">Patrick Ellinor</a>, who will co-direct the alliance as well as direct the cardiac portion. Ellinor is interim chief of cardiology and co-director of the Corrigan Minehan Heart Center at MGH. He is also an institute member and director of the <a href="/node/8510">Cardiovascular Disease Initiative</a> at the ӳý. </p> <p>“This is a real convergence of vision,” Florez said. “Novo Nordisk has decades of experience in drug development, and we at the ӳý are leaders in genetics and understand the clinical space. We look forward to leveraging resources generated by the community to produce what’s really needed for treating these diseases.”</p> <p>The Novo Nordisk side of the collaboration is anchored through the Novo Nordisk Bio Innovation Hub, an R&D unit designed to bring cutting-edge life science innovation from bench to bedside through co-creation partnerships, with a strategic focus within cardiometabolic, rare blood, and rare endocrine disorders.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-broad-tags"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__row"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__title">Tags:</div> <div class="field field--name-field-broad-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/cardiovascular-disease" hreflang="en">Cardiovascular disease</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/diabetes" hreflang="en">Diabetes</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/jose-florez" hreflang="en">Jose Florez</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/patrick-ellinor" hreflang="en">Patrick Ellinor</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 06 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0000 adicorat 5555561 at