Mice and humans may share more than just an appetite for cheese -- they also have internal growth factors that are very similar. Because of this, Douglas Cavener, professor of biology, has used mice to research treatments for three human diseases: juvenile-onset diabetes, osteoporosis and Wolcott-Rallison syndrome.

"What we have done is studied mice with several defects, such as severely retarded growth, diabetes and weak bones, and found that they do not have enough of a chemical called IGF-1," he said.

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) is a naturally produced hormone of the liver that helps control growth.

Those who have Wolcott-Rallison syndrome show symptoms of diabetes, retarded growth, and abnormalities in their bone structure.

Cavener and his team have also investigated mice that are genetically unable to produce an enzyme called PERK (pancreatic endoplasmic reticulum kinase), which is a specific regulator of protein synthesis.

"By studying these mice that do not produce PERK, we are able to investigate what happens when a particular gene is missing and to see what functions go wrong," Cavener said. "We are able to find out what is wrong by interpreting normal functions."

Although Wolcott-Rallison Syndrome is very rare, Cavener said he and his team are looking forward to aiding those with diabetes and osteoporosis, which are diseases that are much more common.

"This study is also important because before this research, we were not quite sure what controls early growth in babies. Regular growth hormones are not used until the first year or two of life," he said.

Peichuan Zhang (graduate-biology) aided Cavener by isolating genes and establishing models to work with.

"We clearly established a link between PERK and these diseases. Wolcott-Rallison may go undetected because infants cannot complain.

"It may be mistaken for diabetes, and in many cases alter normal growth," he said.

Cavener started his research four years ago at Vanderbilt University before moving to Penn State in 2000. His findings will be published in the August issue of the Journal of Endocrinology.

"It took a lot of time to begin to answer these questions, but with the help of about 30 people and a half million dollars, I believe our research will help people suffering from these diseases," Cavener said.