Metformin at the Cellular Level and Dosing for Diabetes Mellitus (DM)

Our studies have shown that metformin acts at the cellular level by acting on a target protein, Cyclic amine monophosphate-Response Binding Elements (CREB) binding protein or CREP Binding Protein (CBP). Patients are treated with many different doses of metformin, some patients respond well to low doses while others require much higher doses. The investigators do not understand why this may be and are interested in knowing if the investigators can treat patents effectively with low doses. What the investigators do not know is how this process is affected when the dose of the metformin is increased or changed. Changes in metformin's target protein will provide evidence on the effectiveness of the dose. Also, currently the same doses of metformin are often used in both children and adults, but it is possible that the dose of metformin should be based on age and weight. Understanding how CBP works could potentially help us to tailor metformin treatment individually for patients based on their age, weight and CBP response.