Division Faculty

1. Experimental studies on function of human islets in a physiological environment: Human islets are isolated from cadaveric donors and placed under the renal capsule of immunodeficient NOD-scid mice. The mice provide a relatively normal physiological environment for the human tissue. The final goal of this project is to develop new procedures and treatments, of patients or islets, that can improve the engraftment and function of human islets transplanted into diabetic patients. (Supported by a 4-year ADA grant.)
2. Rejection of human islets by leukocytes in NOD-scid mice: The survival of human islets in patients is in part dependent on the immune response developed by the patients toward grafted islets. When we inject mice that already have a functioning human islet graft with human leukocytes the graft function deteriorate. Grafts become infiltrated with, and destroyed by, human leukosytes. This project attempt to characterize the nature of the graft destruction and develop new methods to intervene and prevent this destruction. (Supported by NIH R21-DK55263)
3. Comprehensive molecular characterization of tissue in disease and health. This project attempts to use the latest modern technologies, "expression arrays" (gene chips) and "proteomics", to compare the complete molecular structure of health and diseased tissues. This comparison is conducted both at the gene expression (mRNA) level and at the protein level. A comprehensive knowledge of molecular differences between the state of health and the state of disease will help both in understanding the processes leading to disease and in finding new therapeutic targets. (Supported by NIH RR15373)