Dr. Ravi Retnakaran

Dr. Ravi Retnakaran’s clinical research program focuses on the early pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

He has a particular interest in the concept that a woman’s gluco-regulatory response to the metabolic challenge posed by pregnancy can provide unique insight into her future risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Other areas of interest in his research program include the evaluation of pancreatic beta-cell function in clinical studies, as well as clinical trials involving short-term insulin therapy early in the course of type 2 diabetes in order to prevent the progression of this condition.

Recently, Dr. Retnakaran and his research team published an analysis of data from several studies in which patients with early-stage diabetes were treated temporarily with insulin, revealing that the disease can indeed be halted in its tracks. Published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, the findings have provided the impetus for a novel clinical study at Mount Sinai Hospital, called RESET IT, which aims to demonstrate that, when introduced early in the course of disease, treatment with short-term insulin therapy for two to three weeks can restore the body’s ability to make and use insulin, the two key problems that cause diabetes.

In related studies, Dr. Retnakaran’s team is also currently testing a once-a-day injection of liraglutide, a novel drug that can help keep diabetes in check. The study is now wrapping up, and will complement the new clinical trial, RESET IT, which will look beyond the use of a single new drug to a whole new way of treating diabetes that will impact future standards of patient care and improve the overall management of the disease.