Richard N. Bergman, professor and chair of the department of physiology and biophysics and director of the Metabolic Research Laboratory at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, has been awarded the 2006 Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement from the American Diabetes Association.

The award, given to a single researcher each year, is the ADA’s highest honor for scientific achievement. Named after Frederick G. Banting, the co-discoverer of insulin, it recognizes highly meritorious career achievement in the field of diabetes research.

“This is a wonderful accomplishment for Rich and provides much deserved recognition for his seminal work. In addition, Rich’s research and this award reflects most favorably on the Keck School of Medicine,” said Brian E. Henderson, dean of the school.

Bergman, who will receive the award at a June 11 ceremony, and deliver the Banting Lecture at the ADA’s 66th Scientific Sessions in Washington, D.C., is being honored for his lifetime achievement in diabetes research.

“I’m honored,” said Bergman, adding that when he first started focusing on diabetes research, “we didn’t know how significant the disease would become. It’s such an important problem. Of the chronic diseases, this is the only one where rates are going up – the others are stabilizing or going down. The costs to society will be staggering.”

Among Bergman’s many accomplishments in diabetes research is the development of the “minimal model,” a metabolic test that provides a scientific window into how the hormone insulin functions in human beings while simultaneously allowing clinicians to predict which patients are at increased risk.

“What we’ve done is characterize the communication pathways between various types of tissue in terms of a mathematical model,” he said. “This is useful in a variety of ways, including using the model to develop specific tests to measure the function of the pancreas and the function of various tissues.”

Bergman, holder of the Keck Chair in Medicine, also studied the relationship between insulin secretion and insulin resistance. He found that if individuals are insulin resistant, the pancreas must increase its function to compensate. “We discovered that you could actually quantify how much that increased insulin secretion had to be to avoid diabetes,” he said. “This ‘disposition index’ is still the most powerful predictor of who will or will not get type 2 diabetes.”

The disposition index also “appears to have a genetic underpinning,” he said. “What’s exciting about this for us is that this concept was developed before genetics, but we’re seeing that people inherit a disposition index, that it might be related to a specific locus in the human genome. This means there’s potentially a genetic index for predicting diabetes as well.”

Bergman’s research has had a major impact on the understanding of a variety of human diseases. His methods have been applied to the study of atherosclerosis, hypertension, polycystic ovarian syndrome and other conditions related to insulin resistance.

Bergman is also known for his research into how fat accumulation in the abdomen is related to an increased risk for diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be able to work for many years in a field that has a major role in health care,” he said. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with many wonderful students here at the Keck School who are now out there at many other institutions also working on diabetes. It’s quite an honor to be recognized for all that.”