NIDDK-supported Diabetes Research Centers (DRCs) are part of an integrated program of diabetes and related endocrinology and metabolism research. They support extramural research institutions that have established an existing base of high-quality, diabetes-related research.
DRCs are intended to improve the quality and multidisciplinary nature of research on diabetes by providing shared access to specialized technical resources and expertise. They also facilitate progress in research with the goal of developing new methods to treat, prevent and ultimately cure diabetes mellitus and its complications.
The UC DRC was funded in 2020 and is one of 16 DRCs across the country. Under the leadership of directors Dr. Lori Sussel, PhD and Co-director Dr. Jane Reusch, MD, the mission of the UC DRC is to facilitate diabetes research at the University of Colorado by:
1. Integrating the interdisciplinary basic, translational, and clinical diabetes research base.
2. Providing infrastructure and resources that are indispensable for continued discovery and progress towards diabetes research and developing improved prediction and disease prevention.
3. Providing P&F and enrichment programs to support a DRC investigators and their trainees, and recruit new and young investigators into diabetes research.
Members of the DRC are affiliated with a number of institutions, centers and departments including: the Rocky Mountain VA, National Jewish Health, the Nutrition Obesity Research Center, the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, the Center for Women's Health Research, the University of Colorado Cancer Center, the Division of Endocrinology Metabolism and Diabetes, the Department of Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Colorado, the University of Colorado Hospital and the Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine.