Overview

The Washington University Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC) provides resources for the support and coordination of the research and training activities in diabetes and related metabolic and endocrine disorders of a large and growing number of independently funded but highly interactive investigators.

These investigators represent both clinical and "basic science" departments in the School of Medicine as well as representatives from the Chemistry, Physics and Psychology Departments of the School of Arts and Sciences. Members of the DRTC have access to the services of number of cores that provide expertise and training in areas including immunoassay, morphology, animal models of type 1 diabetes, mouse phenotyping, mouse transgenic, and mass spectrometry.

An Administrative Core coordinates enrichment activities that include research seminars, as well as a Pilot and Feasibility Core to support early development of new investigators. A major emphasis of the DRTC has been the Prevention and Control Core that is comprised of members of the St. Louis University's School of Public Health, Dept. of Behavioral Sciences, who do epidemiological outreach diabetes and obesity related research. A similar group at Washington University coordinates clinical research by providing a database of patients, along with resources for bioinformatics and analysis.

The DRTC stimulates science and behavioral research interest. Moreover, the DRTC has helped create an environment which encourages young investigators to move to Washington University and through a highly successful Pilot and Feasibility Program.

History of the Washington University DRTC

The Washington University DRTC's unique ability to foster collaborative research is due in large measure to three individuals, who in the mid- 1970's, successfully lead an application for a Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center (DERC) and in 1977 for a DRTC. These individuals were David Kipnis, Paul Lacy and William Daughaday. Each of these individuals for more than three decades held leadership positions at Washington University and trained many of the leaders of the current DRTC. This spirit of cooperation continues today. We know of no other Diabetes Research Center in North America where so many senior researchers and departmental chairmen maintain active research and training programs in diabetes research and benefit, firsthand, from the presence of a DRTC.