Joseph Larner Laboratory Research papers

Dr. Joseph Larner (1921-2014) was renowned for his work in the fields of pharmacology and biochemistry. Larner's accomplishments include serving as Chairman of the UVA Department of Pharmacology from 1969-1990, founding the UVA Diabetes Center for research in 1974, and receiving the Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement in Diabetes Research from the American Diabetes Association in 1987. His research, which he continued into his 90s, included the discovery of a carbohydrate compound, or glycan, made up of D-chiro-inositol and Galactosamine. D-chiro-inositol is a naturally occuring carbohydrate which is deficient in many patients with insulin resistance diseases; Galactosamine is an amino sugar. The compound isolated and later chemically synthesized by Larner's laboratory, called INS-2, was shown to help lower blood sugar, and was the focus of much of Larner's research. The Larner laboratory worked to isolate the enzyme responsible for producing D-chiro-inositol in the body and also searched for the relevant gene. INS-2 continues to be studied by some of Larner's collaborators today. During his time at UVA, Larner worked with many promising scientists, two of whom later won Nobel Prizes: Alfred Gilman and Ferid Murad in 1994 and 1998 respectively. Dr. Joseph Larner died 28 January 2014.