Grant: DRA : Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a lifelong disease where the body's immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Without insulin, the body cannot control blood sugar, which means people with T1D must monitor their glucose closely and inject insulin every day. Even with insulin, they remain at risk for serious complications. Because of this, the need to identify new ways to protect these insulin-producing cells and prevent or delay the disease is critical. One possible way to do this involves a type of immune cell called natural killer (NK) cells. Normally, NK cells act as the body's security guards, removing harmful or damaged cells to keep tissues healthy. In type 1 diabetes, however, NK cells seem to stop working properly. Some early research in mice suggests that when NK cells are re-activated, they may help protect the pancreas. At the same time, we know that some pancreatic cells survive immune attack but enter a "stressed" state. These stressed cells no longer work properly and instead release harmful signals that worsen disease. In other parts of the body, NK cells can recognize and remove stressed cells, but it is not known whether they can do the same in diabetes. My research will test whether NK cells can target stressed pancreatic cells and slow down type 1 diabetes. I will study this in both mouse models and human cell models, using tools to activate NK cells and track whether they remove stressed cells. This work could reveal new strategies to use the body's own immune system to protect insulin-producing cells. This may lead to future therapies that delay, prevent, or reduce the burden of type 1 diabetes, especially for children and young adults who are most affected.