We asked our afternoon speakers how their work helps people with diabetes. Read what they have to say.
The 2025 Annual Meeting of the Indiana CTSI is on November 21, 2025. View the meeting details and register today.
Did you miss Part 1? View it here.
“It propels health care forward with transformative advances in diagnosis and treatment.” – Richard D. DiMarchi, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Linda & Jack Gill Chair in Biomolecular Science, IU Bloomington
“Translational science facilitates the progression from mechanistic discoveries in metabolism, genetics, and behavioral regulation to clinically applicable interventions. In the context of diabetes and obesity, this encompasses the identification of predictive biomarkers for disease risk, the rigorous evaluation of novel therapeutics such as GLP-1 receptor agonists in randomized clinical trials, and the application of implementation science to optimize the equitable dissemination of these advances across diverse patient populations.” – Tarik K. Yuce, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Surgery, IU School of Medicine
“Translational science enables discoveries at the bench to become real-world solutions for individuals living with diabetes. By turning insights into how the body regulates blood glucose into strategies to prevent, treat, or reverse the disease, translational research bridges basic mechanisms with therapeutic advancement. Through uncovering the cellular and molecular pathways underlying beta cell dysfunction and immune activation, these efforts contribute to the development of interventions that preserve insulin-producing beta cells and maintain glucose homeostasis. My research focuses on how beta cells respond to stress and immune-mediated attack in type 1 diabetes. Alongside other translational efforts in our field, our work aims to define pathways that promote beta cell resilience and immune tolerance. These approaches are essential for advancing durable, disease-modifying strategies—bringing us closer to a future where diabetes can be more effectively managed or potentially cured. ” – Erica P. Cai, PhD, Assistant Investigator, Lilly Diabetes Center for Excellence, Indiana Biosciences Research Institute
“Translational science is the bridge between discovery in the lab and meaningful impact in people’s lives. For diabetes, this means taking advances in chemistry, materials, and biology and re-imagining how insulin and glucagon can be delivered to mimic the body’s own regulation of blood sugar. Our group is developing new strategies that move beyond traditional injections—creating smart, responsive delivery systems that sense changes in glucose and release the right hormone at the right time. By translating these ideas into practical therapies, we aim to reduce the daily burden of disease management, improve safety, and empower people with diabetes to live with greater freedom and peace of mind.” – Matthew Webber, PhD, Keating-Crawford Collegiate Professor of Engineering, Acting Director, Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health, University of Notre Dame
“Translational science has long enhanced the lives of individuals with diabetes through decades of innovation in all areas of management and therapy, from improved insulin formulations to design of novel insulin analogs; and from development of technologies for continuous glucose monitoring to their integrated for automated insulin delivery in Type 1 diabetes and in insulin-requiring forms of Type 2 diabetes. Beyond insulin, translational science has opened transformational opportunities for non-insulin based oral therapies in Type 2 diabetes and for the exploitation of incretin-based hormone analogs to enhance beta-cell function and treat obesity.” – Michael Weiss, MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Precision Health Initiative (PHI) Chair and Distinguished Professor, IU School of Medicine
“Translational science connects scientific and medical research with opportunities to intercept disease and improve the health of people living with diabetes.” – Melissa K. Thomas, MD, PhD, Vice President, Diabetes, Obesity, and Cardiometabolic Research, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company
We can’t wait to see you at the Annual Meeting on November 21. Register by November 7 to secure your spot!
