Profil Institute uses a variety of state-of-the-art methods to perform complex metabolic research to understand and describe the mechanism of action of a given compound or to demonstrate the mechanistic concept behind diabetes or obesity drugs in development.

Profil Institute’s cardiometabolic research methods include:

• Automated glucose clamps, including euglycemic, hyperglycemic, hypoglycemic and pancreatic clamps
• Body composition measurements: DEXA, bioimpedance, doubly labeled water
• Cognitive function testing and mood assessment
• Echocardiography
• Endogenous glucose production and turnover (tracer methods)
• Energy expenditure: Indirect calorimetry, doubly labeled water
• Insulin sensitivity measurements (glucose clamp and non-glucose clamp techniques)
• Food intake measurements
• Islet cell function assessment, including graded glucose infusions
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)
• Metabolic pathway biomarkers
• Oral and intravenous glucose tolerance tests
• Research nutrition: precise meal planning and delivery
• Satiety, appetite and hunger assessments
• Standardized meal challenge testing
• Tissue biopsies and tissue culture

There is often a need to address overlapping aspects of these closely related conditions. This can be accomplished by combining investigative methods as appropriate.

Beyond the methods that are specific for metabolic research questions, Profil Institute uses all standard research tools as they are needed in an early phase clinical research.

Additional Methods:

• 24-hour blood pressure and holter monitoring
• Cardiac telemetry
• Extensive range of imaging, including CT, MRI, MRS and PET scanning
• Fundus photography
• Sonography
• Spirometry