Author: Layla Rouse, MS

New Awards from RFA-22-009: HIRN Consortium on Targeting and Regeneration (CTAR)

Posted on | by Layla Rouse, MS

Developing A Platform Technology For β-Cell-Targeted Drug Delivery

Justin Pierce Annes*, MD, PhD, Stanford University (U01 DK136965)

 

Development of platforms for beta cell-specific delivery and ligand discovery

Amit Choudhary*, PhD, Broad Institute (U01 DK137242)
Rohit Kulkarni, MD, PhD, Joslin Diabetes Center
Paul Andrew Clemons, PhD, Broad Institute

 

iSTAR Tregs

Qizhi Tang*, PhD, University of California, San Francisco (U01 DK137140)
Michael T McManus, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
Audrey Parent, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
 

* Denotes Contact PI

HIRN Webinar: “A Roadmap to Restoring Tolerance in Type 1 Diabetes: CAR Tregs & Beyond”

Posted on | by Layla Rouse, MS

Click HERE to view YouTube recording of the webinar.

Thursday, August 24, 2023 (1:00 pm Eastern / 10:00 am Pacific)

 

Presentation by:    
Qizhi Tang, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
Leonardo Ferreira, PhD, Medical University of South Carolina

Topics discussed:

  • What role do Tregs play in type 1 diabetes?
  • A brief history of Tregs in the clinic
  • Where is the Treg field heading?

 

 

 

 

HIRN Webinar: “RNA Process in Metabolic Tissues”

Posted on | by Layla Rouse, MS

Click HERE to access the YouTube  recording of the webinar.

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 (1:00 pm Eastern / 10:00 am Pacific)

Topics Discussed:

  • Introduction: RNA processing is an important layer of regulation in the islet
  • RNA Splicing
    • Endocrine cell-specific RNA-Splicing
    • Alternate splicing in diabetic islets
    • Splicing defects contribute to beta cell dysfunction
  • RNA Modifications
    • Types of mRNA modifications in metabolic tissues
    • Significance of m6A mRNA methylation in type 1 and type 2 diabetes
    • Role of m6A and pseudouridine in mRNA and carRNA regulation
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NIH NIDDK New Investigator Gateway Award Recipients (May 2023)

Posted on | by Layla Rouse, MS

Congratulations to the May 2023 Recipients of the NIH NIDDK New Investigator Gateway Awards

Congratulations to these three investigators on joining HIRN via the NIH NIDDK Gateway Award Initiative.  This award was designed to ensure that a robust pipeline of talented new investigators will continue to embark on successful careers in type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. The recipients will be embedded within the HIRN scientific framework to provide unique opportunities for New and Early Stage Investigators to increase their understanding of key questions in the field, to network, and to establish unique and potentially long-lasting collaborations that will propel their careers forward. It is anticipated that the Gateway award will provide the support needed to enhance the success of future R01 submissions from New Investigators interested in pursuing careers in T1D research.

Amish Asthana, PhD, Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Research Abstract: “A microwell perfusion plate for manufacturing & testing islet-like clusters”
HIRN Consortium: CHIB
Date Awarded: May 1, 2023
   
Jason Bini,PhD, Yale University 
Research Abstract: “Positron emission tomography to characterize beta cell mass in individuals from multiple stages
in the progression of T1D”
HIRN Consortium: HPAC
Date Awarded: May 1, 2023
   
Richard Aaron Cox, PhD, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Research Abstract: “GABP is a novel regulator of beta cell metabolism & proliferation”
HIRN Consortium: CTAR
Date Awarded: May 1, 2023
   

Jing Liu, PhD, Indiana University-Purdue University
Research Abstract: “Image based spatial transcriptomics to identify b cell phenotypes in T1D”
HIRN Consortium: CBDS
Date Awarded: May 1, 2023
   
Matthew Wortham, PhD, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Research Abstract: “Metabolic requirements of pancreatic beta cell proliferation”
HIRN Consortium: CTAR
Date Awarded: May 1, 2023

 

HIRN Webinar: “Update on Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Screening & Disease Modifying Therapies”

Posted on | by Layla Rouse, MS

Click HERE to access the YouTube video of the recording.

Tuesday, June 20, 2023 (4:00 pm Eastern / 1:00 pm Pacific)

Topics discussed:

  • Approaches and broader applications to T1D risk screening
  • Approaches to disease modification & recent promising areas of advancement
  • Next steps and challenges for successful larger-scale application of screening & disease modification

Presentations by:    

  • Emily K Sims, MD, MS, Indiana University School of Medicine
  • Richard Oram, MD, PhD, University of Exeter Medical School

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images above show participants in the T1D TrialNet screening &
intervention studies. Visit the TrialNet website to learn more.

 

Webinar: “Stem Cell-based Platforms to Model Human Autoimmune Diabetes”

Posted on | by Layla Rouse, MS

Click HERE to access the YouTube video of the recording.

Tuesday, March 28, 2023  (1:00 PM Eastern |  10:00 AM Pacific)

Presentations by:   
–  Audrey Parent, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
–  Karla Leavens, MD, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Topics discussed:
–  Advantages of stem cell-based platforms to model human T1D
–  Current state of differentiation of T1D relevant cell types
–  Examples of disease modeling applications using stem cell derivatives
–  Development of multi-tissue platforms combining islets and T cells

HIRN Funding Opportunity: Pancreas Knowledgebase Program (PanKbase)
(RFA-DK-22-018)

Posted on | by Layla Rouse, MS

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications to develop a centralized resource of the human pancreas for diabetes research that will provide access to deeply curated high-quality datasets, knowledge in computable forms, and advanced data science tools and workflows; and enable open and reproducible multidisciplinary collaboration toward accelerating biomarker and therapeutic target development. The program will become a component of the Human Islet Research Network or HIRN (https://hirnetwork.org/).

Posted: October 4, 2022
Letter of Intent Due: February 28, 2023
Application Due Date: March 31, 2023
Start Date: December 2023

Details HERE

New Awards from RFA-21-017: High-Resolution Exploration of the Human Islet Tissue Environment (HPAC)

Posted on | by Layla Rouse, MS

Integrative Analysis of Multiomic Signatures and Cellular Function in Human Pancreas Across Developmental Timeline at Single-cell Spatial Resolution

U01 DK135017

Marcella Brissova*, PhD, Vanderbilt University 
Alejandro Caicedo, PhD, University of Miami
Jie Liu, PhD, University of Michigan
Stephen Parker, PhD, University of Michigan
Al Powers, MD, Vanderbilt University

 

Using ex vivo, in vivo Models and Patient Mutations to Interrogate Pancreatic Exocrine-Endocrine Cross Talk

U01 DK135095

Rohit Kulkarni*, PhD, Joslin Diabetes Center
Saumya Das, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
Juan Dominguez-Bendala, PhD, University of Miami

 

The Role of Senescent Beta Cells in Type 1 & 2 Diabetes

U01 DK134995

Klaus Kaestner*, PhD, University of Pennsylvania 
Benjamin Glaser, MD, Hadassah Medical Center
Dana Avrahami-Tzfati, PhD, Hadassah Medical Center
Al Powers, MD, Vanderbilt University

 

Linking Human Islet Structural Heterogeneity to Beta Cell State

U01 DK135019

Julie Sneddon*, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
Zev Jordan Gartner, PhD, University of California, San Francisco

 

Survival and Potential of Insulin-deficient Beta Cells in T1D

U01 DK135001

Des Schatz*, PhD, University of Florida
Martha Campbell-Thompson, PhD, University of Florida
Clive Wasserfall, PhD, University of Florida
Yuval Dor, PhD, Hebrew University

*Denotes contact PI

HIRN 2022 Poster Award Recipients

Posted on | by Layla Rouse, MS

The following trainees were selected as award recipients based on the posters they presented at the HIRN 2022 Annual Investigator Meeting.

  Vrushali Agashe, PhD
Institution: Columbia University Irving Medical Center,
                      Columbia Center for Translational Immunology
Title:  Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Affiliation: CMAI (Sykes Lab)

Vrushali Agashe is a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the laboratory of Professor Megan Sykes at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. Vrushali’s research focuses on Type 1 Diabetes immune systems, and how self-reactive T cells escape thymic negative selection & enter periphery, where they can mediate pancreatic beta cell destruction.
   

 
 

Cristiane dos Santos, PhD
Institution: Vanderbilt University
 Title:  Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Affiliation: CBDS (Arrojo e Drigo Lab)

Cristiane dos Santos is a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the laboratory of Assistant Professor Rafael Arrojo e Drigo at Vanderbilt University. Dr. do Santos’ studies the effects of caloric restriction on pancreatic beta cell function and longevity. She observes that caloric restriction improves animal glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity.

 
   

 
 

Udi Ehud Knebel
Institution: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Title:  Doctoral Student
Affiliation: CBDS (Dor Lab)

Udi Ehud Knebel is a Doctoral Student in the laboratory of Professor Yuval Dor at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He studies the role of RNA editing in beta-cells, showing that this process prevents the accumulation of double-stranded RNA and the development of interferon-mediated islet inflammation and diabetes.
   

 
 

Leslie Wagner
Institution: Indiana University School of Medicine
Title:  Doctoral Student
Affiliation: CBDS (Linnemann Lab)

Leslie Wagner is a Doctoral Student in the laboratory of Associate Professor Amelia Linnemann at Indiana University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on how human beta-cells in the pancreatic islet exhibit a heterogenous response to cellular stressors, such as cytokines produced by the innate immune system following viral infection using intravital microscopy.

HIRN 2022 Trainee Scholarship Recipient

Posted on | by Layla Rouse, MS

The following trainees are recipients of the HIRN 2022 Scholarship based on competitive review of abstracts by members of the HIRN Planning Committee.

 

Gregory Golden, PhD
Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Title:  Postdoctoral Researcher
Affiliation: CMAI (Betts Lab)

Gregory Golden is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the laboratory of Professor Michael Betts at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He completed his PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Golden currently studies the immune landscape of the pancreas and associated secondary lymphoid organs and the dynamics of the immune system during Type 1 Diabetes development. He has a particular interest in the role of T cells in the autoimmune elimination of beta cells.
   

 

 

Abhishek Kulkarni, PhD
Institution: University of Florida 
Title:  Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Affiliation: CBDS (Mirmira), CHIB (Brusko)

Abhishek Kulkarni is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the laboratory of Professor Todd Brusko at the University of Florida. He completed his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Indiana University School of Medicine. He joined Raghu Mirmira as a postdoc at the University of Chicago, where he studied the role of the polyamines-hypusine pathway in human pancreatic islet inflammation. His current work is focused on studying the role of the co-stimulatory protein CD226 in the antigen-presenting cell (APC) – T cell interaction in the context of T1D pathogenesis.

 

  

 

 

Olha Melnyk, PhD
Institution: Indiana University School of Medicine
Title:  Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Affiliation: CBDS (Linnemann)

Olha Melnyk is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the laboratory of Associate Professor Amelia Linnemann at the Indiana University School of Medicine. She received her PhD in Applied Sciences-Physics from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Dr. Melnyk is studying pancreatic beta cell physiology, with a focus on autophagic flux and the autophagy machinery, through the use of intravital microscopy.  During her PhD studies, she became interested  in nonlinear optics and advanced microscopy techniques for live cell imaging.

 

  

 

 

Ali Shilleh
Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Title:  Graduate Student
Affiliation: CBDS (Russ)

Ali Shilleh is a 5th year PhD Candidate in the Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Development program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in the laboratory of Holger Russ. He is Serbian-born, Palestinian-raised and completed his BS from the University of Massachusetts, Boston and his MS in Nutrition and Biomedicine from the Technical University of Munich (Germany). Ali’s research focuses on determining the fate of human beta cells upon transplantation.