German partners find diabetes biomarker

Helmholtz Zentrum München and Boehringer Ingelheim have jointly identified a biomarker for diabetes-relevant protein.

The indicator will enable the pre-clinical testing of FABP4 inhibitors, therefore facilitating the selection of potentially effective substances. Studies on human subjects and mouse models show that the FABP4 protein could be a potential target protein for new drugs to treat diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis.

The biomarker was found through the use of lipidomics and metabolomics. Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München were the first to use the modern lipidomics technologies to successfully identify such functionally relevant biomarkers for FABP4.

Boehringer Ingelheim provided the necessary biological and indication-specific knowledge; the Helmholtz Zentrum München contributed expertise in metabolomics and bioinformatics.

The development of the biomarker for FABP4 was the pilot project for the collaborative research venture to identify functional biomarkers.