Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Patients with type I diabetes have to inject insulin every day to live due to the loss of insulin producing islet cells. Insulin injection saves life, but often results in poor control of blood sugar levels. Transplantation of the insulin-producing islets of the pancreas is a therapeutic treatment option for re-establishing sugar responsive insulin secretion. However, success of islet transplantation requires lifelong use of highly toxic anti-rejection medications. The objective of this proposal is to develop a new strategy to locally protect transplanted islets from rejection using naturally immune privileged cells. Our aim is to use hair follicle cells to coat the islet cells and to provide a protective shield. It has been demonstrated that specific tissues in hair follicles protect themselves from rejection when transplanted from one person to another; a feature called immune-privilege. This project aims to first address whether hair follicle derived cells protect against immune responses in cell culture conditions. We will coat islets with hair follicle derived cells and make sure the islets can still make insulin. Finally, we will transplant coated islets into a laboratory model of diabetes and confirm that the islets still work and are hidden from the immune system. Our proposal will contribute new knowledge for protecting transplanted islets using naturally immune privileged hair follicle derived cells. If this novel therapy proves effective, it will provide a simple way to treat type 1 diabetes more efficiently with fewer complications.