Individual volumes in the series Frontiers in Animal Diabetes Research provide basic researchers as well as clinical investigators with in-depth coverage of basic experimental diabetes research. Each volume will be topic oriented with timely and liberally referenced reviews. The series will provide a valuable reference source for basic researchers as well as clinical investigators, graduate students and research fellows in the areas of diabetology, endocrinology, physiology, and pharmacology. Major advances have been made in diabetes research, partly as a result of experimentation in animal models. Experimental animal research has contributed significantly to the understanding of the aetiology of this disease and its dreaded complications. In particular the areas of immunology, insulin signal transduction, and the pathogenetic mechanisms involved in the chronic complications have become clearer. Various animal models used in diabetes research are reviewed, together with the diverse but often interrelated mechanism in the complication of diabetes. The functional and structural consequences in the various target organs are also discussed. Students, trainees, fellows, as well as clinicians and investigators interested in diabetes and its complications will find this new book series a valuable reference source.