Research: Species360 provides cross-species data for diabetes study

November 17, 2021
Mary Ellen Amodeo
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Data from ZIMS/Species360 will allow comparisons of blood glucose levels across bats, birds, mammals, and other vertebrates as part of research into how species with notably high glucose levels avoid critical medical problems caused by hyperglycemia in other species. (Photo: Adobe Stock Images)

Learn more about the Species360 Research Partner Program here.

Daniel Moisés Lyons, MD/PhD student, University of Michigan

Data curated and shared by the Species360 member community will be used in new diabetes research. In the study, University of Michigan MD / PhD student and researcher Daniel Lyons hopes to discover why birds and bats do not suffer the consequences of hyperglycemia as humans with diabetes do.

To conduct the research, Daniel will use data from the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) to compare blood glucose levels across birds, mammals, and other vertebrates as part of this project. Daniel expects to discover new insight to how species with notably high glucose levels avoid the critical medical problems caused by hyperglycemia in other species.

“Ultimately, the project could open new avenues for preventing the complications of diabetes in humans. Understanding avian and bat metabolism may also enable better design of such species’ feed and nutrition. Finally, as this project draws medical insights from cross-species comparisons, it highlights the importance of biodiversity and species conservation for our own health,” said Daniel.

Mazuri Animal Nutrition sponsored Daniel’s entry to the Species360 Research Partner Program. The Species360 program provides researchers access to historic, anonymous, and aggregated data on species.

We are grateful to Mazuri for their generous sponsorship of this important research.

Learn more about Daniel’s work at his Google Scholar Profile.