Johan Jendle - new professor 2016
Johan Jendle is Professor of Medical Science and Head at the Endocrine and Diabetes Centre at Karlstad Hospital. He is a specialist in endocrinology and diabetology and in internal medicine. His research is mainly focused on type 1 diabetes and physical activity. He is also an international diving physician.
1963 Born in Gothenburg, Sweden
1996 PhD in Medicine at Linköping University. Thesis: Intrapulmonary Insulin: Experimental and Clinical Studies
2010 Docent of Medical Science at Örebro University
2015 Professor of Medical Science with a Specialisation in Metabolic Diseases and Endocrine Diseases at Örebro University
“We have developed international guidelines on diving and diabetes, as well as skydiving and diabetes. In addition, work is currently under way to develop guidelines for endurance athletes with type 1 diabetes. We have started a sports camp for adults with specifically type 1 diabetes, a programme that previously only existed in the United States.”
In these studies, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is used, an evolving technology, which can detect the current blood glucose value in real time and how it changes, using trend analysis. This makes it possible to avoid high or low glucose values, since patients may adjust insulin dosage and vary the amount of added carbohydrates.
“CGM may also be connected to modern insulin delivery systems, allowing new opportunities for creating an artificial pancreas, which in the future will automatically regulate blood sugar levels in persons with type 1 diabetes.”
Johan Jendle's research began with a thesis studying whether patients could inhale insulin instead of injecting it at mealtimes. This research included both cell studies, animal research, and clinical research.
“And today there is already an inhaled insulin product on the US market. The studies with inhaled insulin has also enabled the delivery of other pharmaceuticals to the lungs.”
Johan Jendle has examined various glucose-lowering medicines especially so-called incretin drugs for type 2 diabetes, based on the natural intestinal hormones called incretins. This medicine has several advantages, such as the patient not gaining weight or being at risk of hypoglycaemia, i.e. low blood sugar.
Johan Jendle has also identified a new disease, named after him – Jendle’s disease, or familial central diabetes insipidus – a water balance disorder.
“The disease is caused by a unique mutation in the gene involved in the storage of a water reabsorption hormone (AVP). This leads to problems with very large amounts of urine – up to 10 or 15 litres per day – and can now be cured by introducing AVP.”
In the future, he hopes to integrate cloud services with sensors and insulin delivery systems, in order to create and develop telemedicine services for individuals with diabetes.
“There are many exciting interdisciplinary projects, which can have a huge impact on future care for diabetes patients.”
Translation: Jerry Gray