Northwell Health - Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

Volume 1, 2018

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Existing Alzheimer's medication slashes inflammation related to metabolic syndrome A million-dollar donation to target diabetes with bioelectronic medicine Contents The Knapp Family Foundation gives the Feinstein Institute $1 million to fund a four-year bioelectronic medicine-based research program. Nearly 10 percent of Americans have diabetes, and almost 25 percent of those who have diabetes are undiagnosed and unaware. To improve their lives, the Feinstein Institute is studying how to use bioelectronic medicine to treat the condition. The Knapp Family Foundation made a significant donation to support this pioneering work. "Diabetes affects our family as it impacts millions of other families around the world," said Charles Knapp, president of the Knapp Family Foundation. "We are passionate in our support of the Feinstein Institute's innovative and scientific efforts in combating this debilitating condition." Chad Bouton, director of the Feinstein Institute's Center for Bioelectronic Medicine and vice president of advanced engineering for Northwell Health, leads the research team. They hope to develop an implantable device that will work as an electronic pancreas to regulate glucose metabolism without insulin. "Patients living with diabetes currently have to pay a lot of money for and face damaging side effects of their treatment," Mr. Bouton said. "I'm excited about starting this deeper research into developing devices that help the body heal itself instead of relying on drugs." Researchers at Northwell Health's Feinstein Institute for Medical Research may have found a way to treat more than just the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. "Inflammation and insulin resistance underlie metabolic syndrome, which is a precursor to Type 2 diabetes, so the traditional approach of using medications to manage hypertension and high triglycerides doesn't address the condition itself," said Valentin A. Pavlov, PhD, associate professor in the Center for Biomedical Science and the Center for Bioelectronic Medicine. "Previously, we found the Alzheimer's disease drug galantamine reduced both inflammation and insulin resistance in an animal model, and we wanted to see if it could do the same in humans." Working with a team from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, Dr. Pavlov and his colleagues from the Feinstein Institute gave galantamine for 12 weeks to 30 patients living with metabolic syndrome. Another group of 30 patients received a placebo. When the treatment regimen ended, the galantamine group had lower levels of two pro-inflammatory molecules and higher levels of two anti-inflammatory molecules, as well as lower insulin resistance. The patients experienced those results while taking less than the highest daily dose of galantamine approved for Alzheimer's disease patients. Further research is required to confirm the drug's benefit for treating metabolic syndrome. The researchers' study recently appeared in JCI Insight. Existing Alzheimer's medication slashes inflammation related to metabolic syndrome.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 A million-dollar donation to target diabetes with bioelectronic medicine.. . . 2 Discovery will bring cognitive hearing aids closer to reality.. . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Food as medicine: using a plant-based diet to treat reflux.. . . . . . . . . 4 A new way to combat brain tumors.. . . . . 6 A breakthrough in the management of postpartum depression.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Could a more culturally sensitive approach improve asthma management among Hispanics?.. . . . . . . . 8 2 / Volume 1, 2018 Research + development

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