Pennington professor awarded grant, luxury builder enters Baton Rouge market

Troyer Builders enters Baton Rouge market

Troyer Builders, a Metairie builder of luxury custom homes, has expanded into Baton Rouge.

Troyer has built more than 400 homes in New Orleans and the north shore.

The company provides clients with a complete team of architects, designers, and contractors in one centralized camp.

Pennington professor gets $1.8 million grant 

David McDougal, an assistant professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, has been awarded a $1.8 million federal grant to study why Type 1 diabetics develop hypoglycemia and finding better ways to treat the condition.

McDougal, an assistant professor in the Neurobiology of Metabolic Dysfunction Laboratory, recently won the five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Hypoglycemia is a life-threatening period of low blood sugar that can make clinical management of diabetes patients challenging.

McDougal said there are no approved therapies aimed at preventing hypoglycemia in people with diabetes, so the only way to reduce the condition is short-term adjustments in insulin doses. This can lead to unwanted increases in blood sugar.

The study will look at the role leptin plays in regulating hypoglycemia. Leptin is a hormone released from body fat and McDougal proposes that stimuli that lower levels in the body, such as exercise and drinking alcohol, cause people to be more vulnerable to hypoglycemia.

The Backpacker opens north shore location

The Backpacker, a Baton Rouge-based outdoor store, has opened location on the north shore. 

The store is at 3908 La. 22 in Mandeville. 

The business, which sells apparel, shoes, gear and kayaks, was founded in Baton Rouge in 1974. The Backpacker also has a Lafayette store.  

MR Engineering acquires Tatum Engineering

The Baton Rouge firm of MR Engineering & Surveying has acquired Tatum Engineering & Surveying.

Tatum has operated in the greater Baton Rouge real estate development market since 1988. MR Engineering was established in 2009.