# University of Pennsylvania Diabetes Research Center

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $1,860,000

## Abstract

The Penn Diabetes Research Center (DRC) participates in the nationwide interdisciplinary program
established over four decades ago by the NIDDK to foster research in diabetes and related metabolic
disorders. The mission of the Penn DRC is to support and develop successful approaches to the prevention,
treatment, and cure of diabetes mellitus. Administered by the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn DRC
currently serves 127 diabetes-oriented investigators, primarily from the Perelman School of Medicine at the
University of Pennsylvania School but also from other Schools within the University as well as collaborating
local institutions including Thomas Jefferson University, Temple University School of Medicine, the Monell
Chemical Senses Institute, the Wistar Institute, and Rutgers University. Overall direct costs of $67M support
the work of these investigators. The Penn DRC is highly interactive and interdisciplinary, representing many
basic science and clinical departments. The Research Base of the Penn DRC is organized in 4 focus groups:
1) Type 1 Diabetes, with a focus on beta cell biology and Pathology; 2) Type 2 Diabetes, focused on
signaling by insulin and other hormones; 3) Obesity; and 4) Cardiovascular Metabolism and
Complications. The Penn DRC facilitates and supports diabetes research in a variety of ways. Six
Biomedical Research Cores facilitate the work of Penn DRC investigators: Functional Genomics Core; Islet
Cell Biology Core, Mouse Phenotyping, Physiology, and Metabolism Core; Radioimmunoassay/Biomarkers
Core; Transgenic and Chimeric Mouse Core, and Viral Vector Core. Collaborative research and application of
emerging technologies to diabetes investigation are further promoted by the Regional Metabolomic Core at
Princeton. A Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program that has been highly successful over decades serves to
nurture new investigators and to foster new initiatives in diabetes research. A broad and intensive Enrichment
Program organizes weekly Diabetes and Endocrinology Research seminars, special events, and an annual
Spring Diabetes Symposium, all designed to enhance communication and collaboration of Penn DRC
investigators while keeping them abreast of the latest discoveries. Penn DRC investigators mentor trainees at
every level (undergraduate, predoctoral, and post-doctoral Ph.D., M.D., and combined M.D./Ph.D.), and the
Enrichment Program provides a superb environment for training in diabetes research. The Biomedical Cores,
Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program, and Enrichment Program are coordinated and publicized by an
Administrative Component that governs the DRC. Its organizational structure, including the Director and
Associate Director, Executive Committee, Committee of Core Directors, and external as well as internal
advisory boards, functions to maintain the diabetes-related research at the Penn DRC at the forefront of
biomedical science.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10137216
- **Project number:** 5P30DK019525-45
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** MITCHELL A. LAZAR
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,860,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-03-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10137216

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10137216, University of Pennsylvania Diabetes Research Center (5P30DK019525-45). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10137216. Licensed CC0.

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