Sudha Shenoy, PhD, has been named the first recipient of the Headley Family Award for research within the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC). The award to Shenoy, in collaboration with Jon Campbell, PhD, of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, is for her project ‘A novel approach to treat Diabetes Mellitus: Modulation of glucagon receptor ubiquitination.’
The project is focused on how a particular protein tag called ubiquitin can effect certain types of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and how they communicate signals. Her lab has been exploring how ubiquitin tagging affects the glucagon receptor (a type of GPCR), which regulates blood glucose levels. While doing so, they stumbled upon a new and unexpected finding that had not happened with other GPCRs they’ve tested.