A drug to treat complications in diabetes

Dr Lakshini Herat

A novel role for sodium glucose co-transporter 2 in diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy

Raine Priming Grant

$99,865

2020 - 2022

School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia and the Dobney Hypertension Centre

Dr Lakshini Herat is a Research Associate at the School of Biomedical Sciences and Dobney Hypertension Centre at the University of Western Australia. She was awarded a Raine Priming Grant to evaluate the retinal and renoprotective effects of a drug use to treat diabetes, Empagliflozin, in a specific type of mice over a period of 8 or 16 weeks of treatment.

The increasing incidence of diabetes in society elevates the risk of diabetic complications and they are one of the most important current public health concerns nationally and internationally. Hence, thisresearch investigated the beneficial effects of a new class of glucose-lowering drugs, SGLT2 inhibitors, on two of the most prevalent complications of diabetes: (i) diabetic eye disease (retinopathy) and (ii) kidney disease (nephropathy).

Dr Herat’s team have carried out investigations using the SGLT2 inhibitor Empagliflozin in younger and older Akimba mice. They have conclusively shown that Empagliflozin decreased the development and progression of diabetic eye disease. In addition, they have shown for the first time that the Akimba mouse model that develops kidney disease due to diabetes may be reduced with the treatment of Empagliflozin.

Their research demonstrates the exciting future potential of SGLT2 inhibition using Empagliflozin as a therapy for diabetic retinopathy and should be further considered in human studies. This class of anti-diabetic agents can potentially provide early intervention and prevention to those individuals who suffer from vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy and life-threatening diabetic nephropathy.

The results of this Raine Priming Grant has identified the role of SGLT2 inhibition in the context of on diabetic retinopathya and diabetic nephropathy, which will be instrumental in the development of effective therapeutic interventions for both retinopathya and diabetic nephropathy in the clinical setting.

Dr Herat stated “Overall, our findings will aid to better tailor treatment options that have minimal side effects, better cost effectiveness and most importantly, greater therapeutic effec. Ultimately, our findings has the ability to enhance the quality of life of many patients suffering from diabetes and its complications and their families”.

The Raine Priming Grant has provided Dr Herat with the opportunity to obtain further funding including securing a Fellowship from the Royal Perth Hospital foundation and she was also successful in obtaining research funding from Diabetes Research WA and The High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia. The data generated from the Raine Priming Grant has led to three first authoured publications and one senior authored  publication. Dr Herat has also presented the results of her Raine Priming Grant at national and international conferences, and further fostered current collaborations and established new national and international collaborations.