A veterinarian at the University of Florida has recently been awarded a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to study diabetes in dogs — and there’s a good chance the research might help dogs’ best friends, too.

The grant of $150,000 will be used to help determine the cause of canine diabetes, which may also shed light on the origin of diabetes in humans. In spite of the rise of diabetes in both pooches and people, the exact cause of the condition remains a mystery.

The pancreas contains cells that produce naturally occurring insulin, so that organ will be one target of the investigation. And because an immune system that turns against the body has often been suggested as a cause of diabetes, that will be studied as well.

Whatever the findings, scientists hope they can help dogs and their two-legged buddies, too.