SMALL MOLECULES TO TREAT METABOLIC SYNDROME Metabolic Syndrome (MS) is defined as a cluster of inter-related symptoms including central obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension that promote the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. In this project a pharmacological strategy will be developed that could alleviate the vicious circle of hyperglycemia (elevated blood glucose) and elevated insulin observed in metabolic syndrome that accelerates the onset of type 2 diabetes. We have identified a new protein that participates in insulin-dependent increase in glucose uptake from the blood. Loss of this protein leads to reduced insulin dependent glucose uptake and a metabolic syndrome like disease in mice. In this project small molecules that modulate the function of the said protein will be developed and evaluated. New molecules that enhance glucose uptake into cells could be potentially powerful new tools to reverse insulin resistance a key pathology of metabolic syndrome that can accelerate the onset of type 2 diabetes.