Health researcher receives a share of diabetes millions
Medical Doctor Laura Linnea Määtta has received DKK 1.1 million from the Danish Diabetes Academy to investigate whether a new biomarker is able to detect nerve damage in the feet earlier. The grant will finance Laura Linnea Määttä’s PhD degree programme at Aarhus University and the Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, and will benefit people suffering from diabetes.
Diabetic neuropathy is the most frequent delayed complication associated with diabetes, and the condition permanently damages the nerves to the skin and muscles in the feet and elsewhere. While it may lead to amputation in its most severe form, it is also associated with higher morbidity, higher mortality rates and reduced quality of life. There is no clear clinical definition of diabetic neuropathy, and so far there have not been any biomarkers able to trace and monitor the development of the condition.
Over the next three years, Laura Linnea Määttä’s PhD project will investigate whether the axonal cytoskeleton protein neurofilament light chain (NfL), which is released into the blood when nerve damage occurs, is a new potential biomarker. If this turns out to be the case, the discovery will make early intervention possible, and in all likelihood contribute to increased motivation for overall well-treated diabetes among individuals.
Laura Linnea Määttä will spend three months of her PhD project at the University of Oxford. Her grant is part of a larger pool of grants from the Danish Diabetes Academy.
The coverage is based on press material from the Danish Diabetes Academy.
Contact
MD and coming PhD student Laura Linnea Määttä
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine and
Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus
Mobile: (+45) 42 51 27 00
Email: laura.maeaettae@gmail.com