Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Diabetes is a condition of elevated blood sugar (glucose) where the body does not produce enough insulin to meet the body's demand. Insulin is important because it moves glucose into the body's cells from the blood, storing energy for times when it is required. Prolonged high blood glucose levels are toxic to the body's cells. Diabetes is a devastating disease. Annually it results in approximately 4.6 million deaths globally. Long term complications associated with this condition include heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage and problems with impotence. It is predicted that by 2030, one in ten adults worldwide will be diagnosed with diabetes. There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when our own body attacks and destroys the insulin producing pancreatic beta cells, and type 2 diabetes occurs when the beta cells fail to produce sufficient insulin to overcome insulin resistance and is often associated with obesity. One potential cure for type 1 diabetes is pancreatic islet transplantation, to replace those beta cells that have been destroyed. Both types of diabetes and islet transplantation are associated with islet inflammation. The inflamed islets produce proteins called cytokines and other substances that promote inflammation and recruit macrophages (classic immune cells). When macrophages accumulate in and around islets, they can secrete even more cytokines and other pro-inflammatory factors, damaging the tissue further. However, following tissue damage macrophages can also promote tissue healing and regeneration. This project will use animal models to determine how macrophages can be utilized to dampen islet inflammation and promote beta cell regeneration during diabetes and islet transplantation.