Characterize the host immune responses in subjects with or without COVID-19 and/or diabetes

What area of diabetes research does your project cover? What role will this particular project play in preventing, treating and/or curing diabetes? This study is to characterize the innate and adaptive immune responses in subjects with or without COVID-19 and/or diabetes to have a better understanding of the impact of diabetes on COVID-19, and the impact of COVID-19 on diabetes, with a purpose to gain fundamental insights into their immunological profiles to guide future management of patients with COVID-19 with or without diabetes and its complications. If a person with diabetes were to ask you how your project will help them in the future, how would you respond? Recent clinical data has shown that people with diabetes are at higher risk of death from COVID-19, and that COVID-19 drives an increased risk of hyperglycemia and other complications in those with diabetes. However, the mechanisms underlying these adverse effect on each other of the two diseases remain unclear. In this study, we hypothesize that host innate and adaptive immune responses are different in individuals with or without COVID-19 and/or DM, and an understanding of the host immune responses is important for the management of patients with COVID-19 and/or DM patients. Why is it important for you, personally, to become involved in diabetes research? What role will this award play in your research efforts? Most peoples with COVID-19 spontaneously recovered from the infection, however, peoples with old age and basic health problems such as diabetes have a high risk of severe disease and death. As an Infectious disease physician scientist, I felt that research on the host immunity in patients with or without COVID-19 and/or diabetes will provide essential information on managing diabetes in case COVID-19 re-emerge in the future, which is highly likely. This ADA award will facilitate my research on this topic to fight against CIVID-19 and diabetes. In what direction do you see the future of diabetes research going? I would say that we will know better and better about prevention and treatment of both type I and type II diabetes, we will even develop new medications and tools to cure of this common disease down the road. But this goal can only be achieved through scientific research, supported by professional associations, physicians, scientists, and patients! We have to work together to fight diabetes and COVID-19 infectious diseases.