# Dynamic PET imaging in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue to explore mechanisms of lower peripheral glucose uptake in African American Women

> **NIH NIH R01** · ADVENTHEALTH ORLANDO · 2020 · $709,588

## Abstract

Project Summary
This is a competitive revision application to support the expansion of our funded project, R01 DK112700
“Dynamic PET imaging in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue to explore mechanisms of lower peripheral
glucose uptake in African American Women.” (AAW) Our project was designed to expand our understanding of
the metabolic differences responsible for the racial disparity (African American compared to Caucasian) in risk
for diabetes. This competitive revision will allow us to expand the scope of our research protocol to
include Hispanic women (HW). These studies are important because AAW and HW exhibit nearly a two-fold
greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) compared to Caucasian women (CW).
Reasons behind these racial disparities are not understood, but lower insulin sensitivity (IS), a major risk factor
for development of T2DM, is observed in healthy, non-obese AA and H children and adults compared to
matched Caucasians. Published data indicate an intrinsic physiologic difference in some aspect(s) of insulin-
stimulated GU in peripheral tissues. The lower peripheral GU in AAW and HW could have potentially serious
clinical consequences, as this may lead to a strain on the β-cells due to the long term need for compensatory
insulin secretion, resulting in greater risk for development of T2DM.
The identification of specific tissues and biochemical pathways that underlie reduced insulin-stimulated GU
would have important positive clinical relevance; that is that interventions that target the site of the decreased
IS in lean AAW and HW could decrease subsequent IR in obese women, and thus lessen the risk for the
development of T2DM. The specific aims of our current R01 address two hypotheses: 1) a lower rate of insulin-
stimulated glucose transport underlies the reduction in insulin-stimulated GU in AAW; and 2) insulin-stimulated
GU into adipose tissue is an important site of decreased insulin sensitivity in AAW. In addition, we will explore
potential mechanisms responsible for these racial differences. With this expansion we will include studies in
HW. In addition, a new aim will be included to explore additional mechanisms responsible for these racial
differences. To assist with this new aim, we have engaged investigators from Emory University and Georgia
Tech with extensive experience in liquid chromatography/ mass spectrometry (LC/MS) metabolomic and
lipidomic analyses. Using, limited targeted metabolite analyses, we have shown that specific ceramides,
diacylglycerols, and acylcarnitines are associated with insulin sensitivity in Caucasians.
In summary, decreased peripheral GU in AAW and HW appears to be an early risk factor of T2DM. This will be
the first study to demonstrate specific metabolic steps that are altered, the contribution of adipose tissue and
skeletal muscle, and potential mechanisms underlying lower peripheral GU in AAW and HW. Our findings will
provide insights into therapeutics that target mechanisms und...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10165182
- **Project number:** 3R01DK112700-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** ADVENTHEALTH ORLANDO
- **Principal Investigator:** James P DeLany
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $709,588
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10165182

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10165182, Dynamic PET imaging in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue to explore mechanisms of lower peripheral glucose uptake in African American Women (3R01DK112700-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10165182. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*