Abraham announces $352,500 for ULM to research diabetes, obesity treatment

Congressman Ralph Abraham has announced that the University of Louisiana at Monroe has won a $352,500 grant to study diabetes and obesity.

The grant is funded by the Department of Health and Hospitals and is awarded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases.

Louisiana had the sixth highest rate of obesity and the fourth highest rate of diabetes in the United States in 2017. Researchers at ULM hope to use this funding to improve therapies for treating obesity and diabetes, which will lead to a healthier Louisiana.

“As a physician who has practiced medicine in the delta for more than 20 years, I can tell you from first-hand experience that diabetes and obesity continue to be major problems in our region and Louisiana as a whole. I’m excited that ULM will be leading the way to discover how we can better treat these patients, reduce the number of people living with these conditions, and make Louisiana a healthier state,” said Dr. Abraham, a member of both the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology and the House Doctor’s Caucus.

Researchers at ULM hope to answer what molecular pathways and genes are involved in causing the onset of insulin resistance in body tissues. They will study the pathways to disease in obese and diabetic patients to discover how to research and development better treatments.

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