HIRN was established in 2014 to help organize and support collaborative research related to the loss of functional beta cell mass in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). The project consists of five independent research initiatives:

• Consortium on Beta Cell Death and Survival (CBDS)

  • CBDS is using human tissues to discover highly specific biomarkers of beta cell injury in asymptomatic T1D and developing strategies to stop beta cell destruction early in the disease process.

• Consortium on Human Islet Biomimetics (CHIB)

  • CHIB is combining advances in beta cell biology and cell biology with tissue engineering technologies to develop microdevices that support functional human islets.

• Consortium on Modeling Autoimmune Interactions (CMAI)

  • CMAI is developing innovative approaches to model basic aspects of human T1D immunobiology using novel in vivo and in vitro platforms.

• Consortium on Targeting and Regeneration (CTAR)

  • CTAR is investigating methods to increase or maintain functional beta cell mass in T1D through targeted manipulation of islet plasticity or engineered protection of beta cells from immune-mediated destruction.

• Human Pancreas Analysis Consortium (HPAC)

  • HPAC is performing deep phenotyping of the human endocrine pancreas and its interaction wit the immune system to better understand the cellular and molecular events that precede and lead to beta cell loss in T1D.

The project is managed with an Administrative Hub consisting of Program Staff at the NIH NIDDK and the Enhancement Center (EC). The project is supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the Type 1 Diabetes special funding program.