Research associate Keshav Gopal is exploring better targets for diabetic heart disease with less potential for adverse effects

Keshav Gopal. Image supplied.

Keshav Gopal is a research associate within the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta. His research looks at ways to improve the heart’s ability to utilize sugar as a fuel source in people with Type 2 diabetes to lessen the chance of diastolic heart failure. We caught up with Keshav during Diabetes Awareness Month to learn more about his work.

Please tell us about your diabetes research.
People with Type 2 diabetes are more likely than others to develop cardiovascular disease, which is a major reason for death in patients with diabetes.

People with Type 2 diabetes have a defect in their heart’s ability to utilize sugar as a fuel source, which could eventually lead to diastolic heart failure, in which the heart contracts normally but does not relax properly. 

We are using a combination of genetic alterations and drug treatments in animal models of diabetic heart disease to show whether this process can be discontinued by blocking the action of a protein called FoxO1. 

Our research demonstrates that if you can improve the heart’s ability to burn sugar for fuel, the heart can relax better and not get this form of heart failure in the presence of diabetes. 

The findings of this project will assist in the investigation towards the development of novel therapeutic approaches for individuals with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Please tell us about the impact your diabetes research will have in treating or building the knowledge base for diabetes.
We believe that finding a better target for diabetic heart disease with less potential for adverse effects would improve the quality of life of people with diabetes.

What inspired you to choose diabetes as a research stream?
Type 2 diabetes affects nearly 0.5 billion people around the world, and pretty much every family, including mine, has someone with diabetes. We know people with diabetes often take medications for years to control their blood sugars, but the available drugs don’t cure their diabetes. The stubbornness and aggressiveness of this disease became the main reason to choose it for my research.

What difference do you want to make or see in diabetes research in the next 10 years?
Ultimately, our aim is to improve the quality of life of people with diabetes in Canada and around the world.