Dwight Towler's Research Focus
Atherosclerosis, Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes - General, Heart Disease, Metabolic Diseases, Type 2 Diabetes
Dr. Towler investigates the cardiovascular effects of type 2 diabetes. For the past two decades, he has focused on two prevalent and interrelated disorders of mineral metabolism—osteoporosis and vascular calcification. His research is aimed at understanding the molecular causes of arterial calcification, or hardening of the arteries. This condition is a common complication in type 2 diabetes, where it can sometimes necessitate lower extremity amputation. The interrelationship between skeletal and vascular calcification is a particularly important component of mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease and diabetes—and one that is poorly responsive to current medical therapies.
About Dwight Towler
Experience
Dr. Towler obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Moorhead State University, Minn., and both his medical degree and Ph.D. in biochemistry from Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. He completed his medical residency and metabolism fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and is board-certified in internal medicine. Before joining Sanford-Burnham, Towler was the Ira M. Lang Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipid Research at Washington University and served as Chief of the Bone and Mineral Division from 2001 until 2010. In addition to his academic career, Towler spent four years in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently as senior director of Bone Biology and Osteoporosis Research at Merck & Co. He is a member of the editorial boards of numerous medical journals and is currently the Principal Investigator for three active Research Project Grants (R01) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Towler serves as a member of the NIH study section on Atherosclerosis and Inflammation of the Cardiovascular System.
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