U of M Biologist battles gestational diabetes

Gordon Reid

U of M molecular biologist Dr. Janice Dodd, a recipient of a grant from the Charles H. Best Fund for Research, is currently leading the way in the fight against gestational diabetes. Dr. Dodd, a member of a research team at the university's molecular endocrinology section, is searching for a way to identify Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) earlier on in a woman's pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes, which occurs in 10 per cent of all pregnancies, happens when a mother's pancreas cannot produce sufficient insulin to metabolize food into energy.

Although GDM usually disappears after birth, a high proportion of women who suffer from it once will redevelop it in subsequent pregnancies. Women who are overweight, or those who have a family history of diabetes, have a greater chance of contracting GDM.

"I would say this is a women's heath issue," stated Dr. Dodd. "People are told that it will go away after you're pregnant and you don't have to worry about it again. That's not completely true and the long-term effects for a woman's health can be quite profound."

Dr Dodd, working in collaboration with Dr. Cattini of the Health Sciences Centre, is currently searching for ways to identify women at risk of developing gestational diabetes earlier in their pregnancies. GDM is known to cause improper maturation of the placenta, knowledge which may lead to more accurate methods of early detection.

Dr. Cattini's research has focused on an interrelated group of placental hormones that can be used to follow the maturation of a placenta by measuring their levels.

"[Through] his expertise in the area of [the] placenta and some of my molecular biology training, we were able to come up with a new approach to the question of gestational diabetes," Dr. Dodd remarked.

"It's very exciting to think in terms of a medical problem and actually to be able to get it to the point where you can ask a question that is answerable."

This article first ran in The Manitoban, Vol. 83, No. 8 (October 4, 1995). I almost felt dirty accepting the by-line for this article. Essentially, it was a hastily- regurgitated press release. Oddly enough, it happened to be my first solo byline and my first front page article.

What I find interesting now, after six-some-odd years, is that this story is hardly newsworthy, even for a student newspaper. In fact, it's not really news at all. Dodd hadn't made any breakthroughs, just progress (as evidenced in the language of the article: "...is currently leading the way."). In fact, Dodd admits that they haven't answered any questions -- they've only figured out which ones to ask. Hardly worth a news release and certainly not worth a front page story.