Dr. Sarah Gray, an associate professor with the UBC Northern Medical Program at UNBC, is exploring a unique way to treat type 2 diabetes. The two-year $198,743 project is funded by the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund, through the three federal research funding agencies (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council).
Working closely with Dr. Urs Häfeli, a professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia who develops novel drug delivery tools, Gray will test how magnetic nanoparticles developed by Häfeli can be used in type 2 diabetes treatment. Magnetic nanoparticles are a drug delivery tool that has been tested for other clinical interventions such as cancer treatment and medical imaging.
“Our goal is to concentrate the drugs in fat where they can act to improve metabolism, without inducing negative side-effects on the body,” explains Gray. “We hope to provide evidence that will support safe and effective therapeutics for people living with type 2 diabetes.”
The project will also provide training opportunities for graduate students at both UNBC and UBC.
