The Diabetic Complications research group at the University of Michigan has created an organic, integrated and novel approach to the study of so-called “microvascular” complications of diabetes, the complications that primarily lead to the excess morbidity and mortality of diabetes. For the past decade, this team has built its investigations upon direct evidence from humans with these complications, using novel “systems biology” and bioinformatics tools to identify the critical molecular abnormalities for each complication: nephropathy, neuropathy and retinopathy. This ability to identify major new players in the complex progression of these diseases has allowed the group to confirm their importance in disease models and to test the ability of novel treatments to reverse or prevent these devastating complications. The complementary expertise and highly interactive style of the researchers, has allowed the University of Michigan Medical School to move from bedside to bench and back to bedside with new diagnostic and therapeutic tools that will help all patients with diabetes better understand their individual risks and how to treat and prevent diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy.
medicine.umich.edu/medschool 
