The Touchstone Diabetes Center is devoted to the study of the cells and tissues that are either contributing to or are affected by diabetes and its related diseases. Research in the Touchstone Diabetes Center focuses on both basic and clinical aspects of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and questions related to the impact of diabetes and obesity on cardiovascular disease outcome and cancer incidence.

The Touchstone Diabetes Center is part of a fully integrated research effort at UT Southwestern Medical Center in the area of metabolic research. Relevant partners in this effort are the Division of Hypothalamic Research, Center for Human Nutrition, the Central Regulation of Hepatic Metabolism (CROHM), the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, and the Simmons Cancer Center.

Our Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Core provides a full spectrum of services for the metabolic phenotyping of preclinical models and assay capabilities for clinical samples.

Focus Areas within the Touchstone Diabetes Center

• Adipose tissue physiology: Systemic impact of adipocyte-derived factors on insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular disease
• Beta cell physiology: Apoptotic and regenerative aspects of b-cell physiology
• Impact of obesity on breast cancer incidence and progression
• Regenerative aspects of tissues related to diabetic complications
• Sexually dimorphic physiology of adipose tissue and the impact on sexually dimorphic disease susceptibility
• Impact of sex hormones on energy metabolism