{"id":246616,"date":"2026-11-05T03:05:56","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T09:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/2026\/11\/miro1-protein-linked-to-insulin-resistance-in-type-2-diabetes"},"modified":"2026-11-05T03:05:56","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T09:05:56","slug":"miro1-protein-linked-to-insulin-resistance-in-type-2-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/2026\/11\/miro1-protein-linked-to-insulin-resistance-in-type-2-diabetes","title":{"rendered":"Miro1 protein linked to insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A protein called Miro1 found at elevated levels in the skeletal muscle of people with Type 2 diabetes may contribute to insulin resistance, potentially making it a target for future treatments that help the body regulate blood sugar, according to a study published today in <em>Nature Communications. <\/em>Researchers found that removing Miro1 restored the muscles\u2019 response to insulin in preclinical models, while exercise reduced the protein\u2019s levels in people with Type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n<p>The study was led by senior author Dr. John P. Kirwan, recently named executive director of the OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center at the University of Oklahoma. He conducted the research while at LSU\u2019s Pennington Biomedical Research Center and now brings his internationally recognized translational research program to OU, where he will build on his work to advance the understanding and treatment of diabetes. The study\u2019s first author is Elizabeth Heintz, a doctoral candidate who worked in the Integrated Physiology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical, and the co-corresponding author is Christopher Axelrod, who has since joined Kirwan at the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>This research exemplifies the breadth of scientific discovery at Pennington Biomedical, where research spans all levels, from basic science that reveals the biological mechanisms underlying disease to clinical studies and population-based research that informs public health. Dr. Kirwan and his team\u2019s findings on Miro1 demonstrate the value of this integrated approach, connecting fundamental discoveries about muscle function with insights into insulin resistance and the benefits of exercise in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news-medical.net\/health\/What-is-Type-2-Diabetes.aspx\">people with Type 2 diabetes<\/a>. This work is advancing our understanding of diabetes and helping lay the foundation for future approaches to prevention and treatment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A protein called Miro1 found at elevated levels in the skeletal muscle of people with Type 2 diabetes may contribute to insulin resistance, potentially making it a target for future treatments that help the body regulate blood sugar, according to a study published today in Nature Communications. Researchers found that removing Miro1 restored the muscles\u2019 [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":662,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1495],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-246616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biotech-medical","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/662"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246616\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeboat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}