Brett Morrison, MD, PhD, Receives ANF Mid-Career/Established Investigator Grant for Research on Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Published March 05, 2025
Mid-Career Grants
Brett Morrison, MD, PhD, has been awarded an ANF MidCareer/Established Investigator Research Grant for his project, “Role of Macrophage MCT1 in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.” His team aims to determine whether macrophage
MCT1 plays a role in diabetic peripheral neuropathy and whether lipid nanoparticles can target this molecule and
prevent neuropathy from occurring or accelerate its recovery.
As an associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Morrison finds motivation for this project from his experience with this area of study. He shares what he and his team have already learned, noting that, “The function of macrophages is highly dependent on their cellular metabolism. In our prior publication in the Journal of Clinical Investigations, we found that ablating MCT1 from macrophages impairs peripheral nerve regeneration following nerve injury, while upregulation of MCT1 improves nerve regeneration. Peripheral nerve injury is relatively rare. In contrast, diabetic peripheral neuropathy is the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy, affects up to 15 million people in the United States alone, and is currently untreatable.” He says these findings motivated him and his team to determine whether metabolic changes in macrophages through altering MCT1 can impact diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
He explains, “We have previously shown that altering the metabolic transporter, MCT1, in macrophages impacts the speed of recovery following peripheral nerve injury. In the current proposal, we will study whether varying MCT1 expression in macrophages impact mouse models of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Macrophage MCT1 will be altered both by transgenic mice engineered to have low or high expression of MCT1 and lipid nanoparticles that target macrophages and upregulate MCT1.” The genetically and pharmacologically modified mice will be assessed for the development of peripheral neuropathy in commonly studied mouse models of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Morrison hopes this study’s long-term results will positively impact patients suffering from diabetic peripheral neuropathy. He expects the experiments from this grant will help the field to better understand the role of macrophages in diabetic peripheral neuropathy in general and whether changing metabolism in macrophages is a valuable target for treating diabetic peripheral neuropathy. “If the macrophage manipulations prove effective, this research will provide a springboard to larger studies in other diabetic models and ultimately patients with diabetes,” he says.
Learn more about ANF research grants and support researchers like Dr. Morrison today.
As an associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Morrison finds motivation for this project from his experience with this area of study. He shares what he and his team have already learned, noting that, “The function of macrophages is highly dependent on their cellular metabolism. In our prior publication in the Journal of Clinical Investigations, we found that ablating MCT1 from macrophages impairs peripheral nerve regeneration following nerve injury, while upregulation of MCT1 improves nerve regeneration. Peripheral nerve injury is relatively rare. In contrast, diabetic peripheral neuropathy is the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy, affects up to 15 million people in the United States alone, and is currently untreatable.” He says these findings motivated him and his team to determine whether metabolic changes in macrophages through altering MCT1 can impact diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
He explains, “We have previously shown that altering the metabolic transporter, MCT1, in macrophages impacts the speed of recovery following peripheral nerve injury. In the current proposal, we will study whether varying MCT1 expression in macrophages impact mouse models of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Macrophage MCT1 will be altered both by transgenic mice engineered to have low or high expression of MCT1 and lipid nanoparticles that target macrophages and upregulate MCT1.” The genetically and pharmacologically modified mice will be assessed for the development of peripheral neuropathy in commonly studied mouse models of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Morrison hopes this study’s long-term results will positively impact patients suffering from diabetic peripheral neuropathy. He expects the experiments from this grant will help the field to better understand the role of macrophages in diabetic peripheral neuropathy in general and whether changing metabolism in macrophages is a valuable target for treating diabetic peripheral neuropathy. “If the macrophage manipulations prove effective, this research will provide a springboard to larger studies in other diabetic models and ultimately patients with diabetes,” he says.
Learn more about ANF research grants and support researchers like Dr. Morrison today.