Human Physiology Core

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The Human Physiology Core provides state-of-the-art, cost-effective, centralized services for assessment of biochemical analytes, human body composition and energy metabolism, insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function, and cardiovascular function for diabetes-related research studies. Toward this end, the Core maintains instruments, collects and provides quality control data, maintains and offers a web-based scheduling system, and provides staffing by trained technical personnel for a broad suite of measures and services that can accommodate the needs of small pilot studies and student projects up to large R01-level protocols. In addition, the Core promotes multi-disciplinary research in diabetes across the UAB campus, and offers training, advice, and instruction to students, fellows, and faculty. Lastly, the Core contributes to the development, evolution, and expansion of methodology in field of diabetes at UAB by implementing and validating new technology and methodology. New technology offered in this project period includes “LiverLab” software for assessing tissue and organ composition from magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. New services offered in this renewal are support for human tissue biopsy and sleep/circadian studies. Thus, the Human Physiology Core facilitates research involving human volunteers including patients with diabetes and cardiometabolic disease. This is an important component of the DRC’s overall research program which spans a broad translational spectrum and endeavors to identify new therapeutic targets and bring better treatments to the clinic in the prevention and treatment of diabetes.