Canada Research Chair on Diabetes complications renewed
In Quebec, 880,000 people live with diabetes and its primary complications, which inculde renal failure, the risk of non-traumatic amputations, and the risk of blindness in adults under 65 years of age. In addition, the cost of health care for a person with diabetes is above the average. This difference is explained by the consequences of diabetes on the heart, eyes, kidneys and blood vessels.
At the Université de Sherbrooke, Professor Pedro Miguel Geraldes has had his Canada Research Chair in Diabetes and Vascular Complications renewed for a five-year term to continue his research on the impact of diabetes on kidney disease, cardiovascular problems, and vision loss.
Although reducing blood sugar prevents vascular complications, it is difficult to control. Prof. Geraldes and his team are studying the effects of sugar and dietary fat on the function of vascular cells in diabetes-affected tissues, namely the kidneys, eyes, heart, and lower limbs. He tries to understand how diabetes reduces the actions of factors such as insulin, which is essential for the function of vascular cells.
"We already know that not all diabetic patients will be affected by kidney failure, amputation, or cardiovascular problems,” Geraldes explained. “Our biggest challenge is that we have no way of determining who will develop vascular complications. My research aims to find new strategies to improve detection of patients at risk of developing vascular complications and thus better support them.”