PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT – Overall The COBRE-Diabetes Phase 1 gave the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) the ability to begin building a Diabetes Research Center (DRC). We were able to mentor 7 Research Project Leaders and 7 Pilot Project Investigators in Phase 1 in diabetes mellitus (DM) and insulin resistance (IR). Our DRC spans departments and across campus borders to promote research aimed at improving the metabolic health of the people of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region. The Center has been built upon the strengths of Hawaiʻi’s spirit of collaboration, intrinsic ethnic and cultural diversity, and existing strengths in diabetes research. In the US, approximately 11.3% of the population has diabetes and 38.0% are prediabetic. Diabetes is more prevalent among racial/ethnic minority populations particularly in Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders: 27.7% and Asian: 19.3% compared to White: 12.2% in 2022. The Center will leverage Hawaiʻi’s ability to link basic science mechanisms underlying diabetes through translational research. In Phase 1, the COBRE-Diabetes was focused on understanding the etiology of DM and transitioned into studying diabetic complications. In Phase 2, our emphasis will be on DM complications since these occur at higher rates in minorities than non-Hispanic whites. Racial and ethnic disparities in Hawaiʻi have been observed in DM complications. Thus, the research projects proposed include: developing minimally invasive sweat sensors for clinical complications, exploring the genomics of diabetes and stroke in Native Hawaiians, and understanding the etiology of diabetic autonomic neuropathy in a rodent animal model. The Research Projects Leaders (RPLs) will be supported by the Administrative and Mentoring and Metabolic and Analytic Cores. Pilot projects are also proposed to fund two projects a year so that when RPLs graduate there will be new RPLs in the pipeline. The school of medicine and UHM will also recruit 4 new tenure-track Assistant Professors whose research complements and focuses on translational DM and IR. Community engagement will include an annual symposium with a science track and a community track with opportunities for researchers, academics, clincians and community members to attend and network with those who are working in the field of diabetes health research and health care disparities AND increased presence on our website and social media platforms. The Phase 2 overall goals are to: 1) Expand the multi-disciplinary research capacity of the DRC through the mentoring of new Research Project Leaders, 2) Strengthen the center through promoting scientific and community interactions, continued development of DRC faculty, and the recruitment of 4 new faculty to the center, and 3) Enhance the research infrastructure of the DRC and the institution through the expansion of the Metabolic and Analytic Core. Our DRC goal is to develop a translational research environment to advance DM research in a collaborative environment. This should lead us to become a strong, self-sustaining Center that will be supported by institutional and peer-reviewed grant funding.

PROJECT NARRATIVE – Overall This COBRE-Diabetes Phase 2 grant will strengthen the center through further improvements in research infrastructure and the continued development of investigators at the Diabetes Research Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In the US, approximately 11.3% of the population has diabetes and 38.0% are prediabetic. It is well known that the prevalence of diabetes disproportionately affects more racial and ethnic minorities such as Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Asians, among others.