With this project, Marja Jäättelä and her group will map how different types of dietary fats are used as building blocks in cells and how they affect their functions. The ultimate aim of the project is to enable a better use of diets in the prevention and treatment of various diseases.
Marja Jäättelä says: “We know today that there are different types of fats in our food and that they have both good and harmful effects on our health. But we do not know so much about how these fats distribute in our body or how they affect different tissues. Therefore, we wish to investigate how different types of fats in food are used in the body. For this purpose, we will feed mice with excess of specific dietary fatty acids and then determine the fat composition of cellular membranes and other lipid-containing molecules in various tissues.”
Pål Njølstad says: “Childhood diabetes infers a great burden on affected children and their parents due to complicated and painful treatment, and the development of diabetes-associated complications. In many clinics around the world, children with diabetes are generally thought to suffer from type 1 diabetes, not further investigated, and treated with insulin for life. Recent advances in genetics indicate that many children with apparent type 1 diabetes may suffer from a genetic subtype of diabetes which may mean oral drugs are better than insulin injections.
In this study we will use new genetic tools to identify rare genetic variants in childhood diabetes, to shed light on their functional role in cell models, and to use this information for improved treatment of children with diabetes. Children carrying mutations in genes involved in insulin secretion will be tested whether they can switch treatment from insulin to sulfonylurea tablets, thus providing safe, painless, and personalized treatment.”