Research to find a viable cure for juvenile diabetes, also known as type 1 diabetes, received a boost with the launch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Center for Beta Cell Replacement at McGill University and Universite de Montreal.

Under the leadership of Lawrence Rosenberg, MD, PhD, at McGill University Health Center and codirector Marc Prentki, PhD, of Universite de Montreal, the Center will address one of the major obstacles in islet transplantation: the critical shortage of beta cells available for transplants. Although islet transplantation from donor pancreases can restore normal insulin production in people with type 1 diabetes, the next critical step is getting more islets from each pancreas. The Center will develop and attempt to expand the supply of beta cells and seek to protect and preserve beta cell function in transplants.

The Center is being funded with a $2.6 million grant from JDRF over a 3-year period. "JDRF has been funding islet transplantation as one of its priorities worldwide and is moving the field forward at an accelerated pace," commented Richard Furlanetto, MD, PhD, scientific director, JDRF. " We have fostered an era of communication and cooperation among research centers worldwide to address this supply problem."

Researchers at the JDRF Center for Beta Cell Replacement will use various technologies to expand the beta-cell pool by "tweaking" the mature islets back to an immature form where they will again multiply. Once they have multiplied sufficiently, researchers will study how to change them back to beta cells. Center scientists have also identified other cell types in the pancreas which, under the right conditions, can be induced to synthesize and secrete insulin.

"The recent success of islet transplantation made in the Edmonton Protocol at the JDRF Center for Clinical Islet Transplantation at the University of Alberta 2 years ago, in patients with very severe life-threatening problems with glucose control, has set the stage for widespread application of this approach. However, given the current organ donation rate and the inefficiencies inherent in the islet isolation procedure, it is estimated that only 0.6% of the possible recipients will be transplanted. We need to expand the insulin-producing beta-cell mass and are working closely with our Edmonton colleagues," said Rosenberg.

Researchers have also undertaken two projects aimed at protecting transplanted islets and increasing their survival. "We will conduct laboratory studies and use rat models to examine how high levels of glucose and various fatty acids - prevalent in today's food environment - harm beta cells. This will help scientists design strategies for beta cell survival using diet and drugs," commented Prentki. The other effort to protect transplanted cells includes a new approach to administering antirejection drugs in a biodegradable, plastic sheath that will release its contents slowly, specifically targeting the transplanted tissue. This approach is a promising way of combining drug therapy together the transplanted beta cells.

Source: Diabetes News: Diabetes Week.

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