The role of novel proteins in diabetes risk
25 February 2025
The research study will investigate the effects of glycogen sensing proteins found in the cells of our muscle. Research in the lead investigator’s laboratories has demonstrated that these proteins may contribute to insulin resistance (pre-diabetes). Yet we still don’t know how these proteins are negatively affected. However, we do know that both high levels of glucose and insulin have contributed to the development of insulin resistance.
Requirements
- The study will involve three visits to our laboratory at Coventry University (Whitefriars St, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK). The first visit will last approximately 2 hours, during this time preliminary data on metabolism, body composition and an exercise assessment will be measured. The following two visits will be used to perform a rested or exercise protocol. The second and third trials will each last circa 5 hours (30 minutes preparation, followed by either rest or exercise protocol (~45min) and an oral glucose tolerance test (~180min). During these trials, blood and muscle tissue samples will be collected as standard practice in our laboratory.
- Visit 1 familiarisation of experimental procedures
- The first visit will last approximately 2 hour and will be used to collect baseline data including body composition [weight, height, body fat %] and a graded exercise assessment (increasing to high intensity) to determine the levels you will exercise during visits 2 or 3.
- Visit 2 and 3 – the trials
- You will be asked to attend the laboratory having fasted for 12 hour (overnight) avoiding all food and caffeine during this period. Three muscle biopsies will be drawn from the vastus lateralis (the belly of the thigh muscle) using a standard sterile method and under local anaesthesia at baseline, post exercise/rest and a final one after an oral glucose tolerance test). Each trial will last approximately 5 hours in total with an additional 30 minutes for preparation before the start of the trial. You will receive either one of two conditions that will be randomly assigned – rest or exercise. Immediately after the first biopsy, an exercise protocol or rest period will take place. A second muscle biopsy will be performed in order to assess activity of signalling proteins, followed by the ingestion of a stable isotope labelled oral glucose tolerance test (siOGTTs; [6,6-2H2]glucose) in order to assess glucose control. A total of 10x 5ml blood samples will be taken. Blood will be sampled at -10, 0 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 min in reference to the glucose ingestion. A final muscle biopsy will be taken in order to assess the activity of signalling proteins in response to the glucose tolerance test.
- The amount of blood taken during this procedure (~50ml) is much lower than the amount drawn during a blood donation session (450ml) and is standard practice in our laboratory. All blood samples will be drawn through a cannula as used in a hospital setting, thus requiring a single needle puncture.
- Muscle biopsies will be drawn as following:
- • the first one before the exercise or rest period.
- • the second after the exercise/rest protocol.
- • the third after the oral glucose tolerance test.
Keywords
Ethical approval
The study has been approved by the University of Roehampton Health and Life Sciences ethics committee on 5 December 2024.
About the researcher
My name is Alex Rhodes, I am a doctoral researcher investigating the role of key proteins in skeletal muscle in the response to exercise and insulin stimulated glucose uptake. I work under the supervision of Dr Astrid Hauge-Evans and Dr Richard Mackenzie, lead investigators for research in diabetes. Our group is a partnership between the NHS National Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP) providers, NHS England, University Hospital Coventry, and Warwick (UHCW), University of Roehampton, Coventry University, Birmingham University, Oxford University and Monash University (Australia).
