Michigan State University researchers are working to treat Type 1 diabetes and received a new grant that will help develop a new imaging approach.
The university received a $750,000 grant from JDRF, the world's largest nonprofit supporter of Type 1 diabetes research.
According to the university, the grant project will develop a new imaging approach for monitoring immune responses to promote the success of islet or beta cell transplantations, which are promising treatments for Type 1 diabetes.
Researchers say the new approach could also broaden the pool of patients eligible for the procedure.
“When transplants work, they work great,” said Bryan Smith, an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. “But they can be rejected by a patient’s own immune system, which is obviously a major problem. Things can spiral quickly.”
The researchers create tiny, engineered particles that team up with immune cells to spot or remedy problem sites inside the body. The approach has never been applied to diabetes before.
Anna Moore, the director of the Precision Health Program and assistant dean of the College of Human Medicine, and Peter Wang, in the Precision Health Program and the Department of Radiology, will also join Smith in the research effort. There are also several other researchers.
