Levels today announced that Dr. Gerald Shulman, MD-PhD, has joined the company as an Advisor. In this role, Dr. Shulman will advise on our strategy and collaborate with Levels on research to understand better the physiologic drivers of insulin resistance and other metabolic dysfunction.
Dr. Shulman is the George R. Cowgill Professor of Medicine and Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at Yale. He is also Co-Director of the Yale Diabetes Research Center and was an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for 21 years.
“Dr. Shulman’s work has been groundbreaking for our understanding of the molecular basis of insulin resistance and the mechanisms driving the development of metabolic disease, as well as opportunities for disease reversal,” says Josh Clemente, Founder of Levels. “His research has shown that young, lean, non-diabetic individuals can display significant insulin resistance and dysfunctional metabolic processes, long before fasting glucose levels markedly change, and he’s highlighted factors that could explain why this occurs. We are thrilled to work with Dr. Shulman to understand the critical steps in the development of metabolic dysfunction so that we can empower people to make choices that intervene in these processes early and directly.”
Dr. Shulman is known for pioneering magnetic resonance spectroscopy combined with mass spectrometry to non-invasively examine intracellular glucose and fat metabolism in humans and transgenic rodent models. These advances have led to several paradigm shifts in our understanding of Type 2 diabetes (T2D), as well as the development of new drugs for the treatment of T2D, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his work.
“I am delighted to join Levels as an advisor and assist them in their mission to empower people to make choices to improve their metabolic health,” says Dr. Shulman. “Insulin resistance is a key factor in the development of Type 2 diabetes, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts will impact 1 in 3 Americans by the year 2050. Insulin resistance is often present many years prior to the onset of Type 2 diabetes and it also plays a major role in the development of cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and promotes the growth of many obesity-associated cancers. In this regard, I believe developing new technologies to identify individuals with insulin resistance, especially at a young age, and reverse this condition with diet modification and exercise will have a significant impact on health.”
Listen to Dr. Shulman explain more about how insulin resistance works in the body and his work in identifying it in his appearance on The Drive podcast with Peter Attia.
