The Section of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Andrology and Metabolic Diseases at the Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area, University of Bari Aldo Moro, owns a long-standing internationally renowned experience in translational and clinical research on endocrine and metabolic diseases, with a specific focus on the pathophysiology and treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. The group includes professors, researchers, medical doctors, research fellows, PhD students, and technicians, with diverse expertise in the fields of endocrinology, metabolic diseases, nutrition, and cellular and molecular biology. The Section participates in numerous studies for the clinical characterization of new anti-diabetes drugs, including randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and network meta-analyses; some of these studies were instrumental to obtaining the authorization by international regulatory agencies, such as FDA and EMEA, for the clinical use of anti-diabetes drugs.

The Section is equipped with highly specialized laboratories, with skills in the isolation and characterization of human pancreatic islets and cardiac and adipose stem cells. The laboratories consist of four different core-facilities: molecular biology, cell cultures, protein biochemistry, and hormonal/metabolic phenotyping. Equipment and methods for the clinical characterization of patients with obesity and/or diabetes (bioimpedance meter, calorimeter, hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp) are available. The research group has also access to transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic platforms located within the Department. The ongoing collaboration with the Biogem consortium and facilities at Ariano Irpino (AV), Italy, provides the opportunity of working with rodent animal models, including genetically modified mice and mouse model of diabetes and obesity, as well as to isolate mouse islets.

The Section is connected with the Division of Endocrinology at the University Hospital Policlinico on Bari, with a clinic dedicated to diabetic (⁓4200/year) and obese (⁓700/year) patients, an inpatient ward with 20 beds, and a day-hospital/day-service unit. The outpatient activity allows the follow-up of diabetic and obese patients undergoing treatment, with evaluation of therapy efficacy and adherence, also through telemedicine platforms. The activity of the research group, directed by Professor Francesco Giorgino, has led to significant advancements in endocrinology and metabolism, with original studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying insulin resistance in various tissues (skeletal muscle, heart, adipose tissue, pancreatic beta-cells, liver) in both animal models and humans. More recently, the research focus has been on the role of glucotoxicity, lipotoxicity, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in diabetes and its complications, elucidating the impact of these stressors on cellular dysfunction and death, and the potential reversal through specific drugs.