
About the Scientists
Aaron I.
Vinik, MD, PhD, FCP, FACP
Director, Diabetes Research Institute
Scientific Director, Department of Medicine
Professor of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School
One of the leading diabetes researchers in the world,
Dr. Vinik is key in the Strelitz Diabetes Center quest to cure diabetes. His
focus of attention is:
- the prevention and reversal of diabetic neuropathy and
- the
development of islet cell regeneration research as a cure for diabetes.
Dr. Vinik
spearheaded the discovery of "ilotropin," a chemical substance that can reawaken
a cells potential to produce insulin and the gene, INGAP, the protein responsible
for this reawakening.
Dr. Vinik came to the Strelitz Diabetes Center from
the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor where he was professor in Internal Medicine and
Surgery. At the University of Michigan he established an international reputation for his
research in the areas of hormone secreting tumors and the complications of diabetes,
particularly diabetic neuropathy.
Dr. Vinik has been invited to present his work all over
the world. Recognized as a pioneer and scholar, Dr. Vinik has authored five books, 75 book
chapters, and has published more than 300 papers in peer-reviewed, highly reputable
journals. He has also published more than 260 abstracts, and he and the fellows he has
trained have presented scientific papers and innumerable national and international
meetings.
Dr. Vinik is a member of a number of professional
societies including the American Endocrine, Diabetes, Gastroenterology, and the European
and International Diabetes associations. Dr. Vinik was a member of the National Institute
of Health General Clinical Research Center Study Section and the NIH Data Management
Committee. He was also Chairman of the American Diabetes Association task force on
Nutrition, which established the previous 1985 guidelines for nutritional management of
diabetes, and Chairman of the subcommittee for development of guidelines for neuropathy
testing; in addition, he was also a member of the committee to develop guidelines for
managing lipid disorders in diabetes.
Dr. Vinik has received research funding for his studies
from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the Kroc
Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, and pharmaceutical industries.
Physician Referral Information
Gary L. Pittenger, PhD
Director of the Protein Chemistry Lab
Diabetes Research Institute
Dr. Pittenger spent 20 years at the University of
Michigan as student, researcher and instructor. For many years he studied the regulation
of the gastrointestinal endocrine system and the role of the low molecular weight
heat-shock protein in male reproductive endocrine regulation. At the Strelitz Diabetes Center, Dr. Pittengers major research efforts are focused on finding proteins
that cause the formation of new insulin-producing cells and studies on how diabetes causes
nerve damage.
David Taylor-Fishwick, PhD
Director of the Cell and Molecular Biology Lab
Diabetes Research Institute
Asst. Professor Internal Medicine
Dr. Taylor-Fishwick has been a member of basic science
research teams in England, Switzerland, and the USA. A common goal of his research has
been the development of new strategies for disease cure through an understanding of how
growth-factors regulate cell function. Before joining SDI, David spent four years in
pharmaceutical research at AstraZeneca in England, latterly as a Principal Molecular
Immunologist. Here he helped identify novel regulatory pathways and investigated the role
of small molecular weight entities on cell regulation in the immune system.
At the SDI a major research focus of Dr. Taylor-Fishwick
is to identify the genes, proteins and receptors required to regenerate insulin-producing
cells and reverse diabetic neuropathy. INGAP is an islet regenesis-factor identified at
the SDI. The Cell and Molecular Biology lab is studying the regulation of INGAP and its
receptor. By combining these molecular findings with strategies to prevent the immune
destruction of newly generated islets it is anticipated that INGAP or INGAP-like factors
will facilitate a cure for diabetes. |