Hearing impairment was more prevalent among adults with diabetes. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases funded the research. …
Type 1 Diabetes Unit
The Type 1 Diabetes Unit of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and
Metabolism IDOM will bring together investigators studying the
immunologic and metabolic mechanisms involved in the etiology and treatment
of type 1 diabetes, including the complications of hypoglycemia and micro-
vascular disease This will involve a multi-disciplinary collaboration
across the basic and clinical science departments of the schools of Nursing
and Medicine, the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Wistar
Institute, the Monell Chemical Senses Center, and the Abramson Cancer
Center A monthly seminar will be organized by rotating topics covering
all aspects of type 1 diabetes research and care, and will be delivered by
Unit members and invited guests [link to seminar schedule; link to member
list] New research initiatives by IDOM members will be supported by an
annual pilot and feasibility grant award [link to pilot grant award]
Type 1 diabetes T1D is caused by an autoimmune process that selectively
destroys the insulin producing ?-cells of the pancreatic islets, resulting
in severely dysregulated glucose homeostasis T1D afflicts nearly 2
million people in the United
States, usually starting in childhood or young
adulthood, and its incidence is increasing The environmental triggers
that initiate the disease process remain unknown, and attempts to curtail
the autoimmunity early in the course of disease have so far met limited
success in patients Modern insulin analogs and delivery systems now allow
for greater flexibility in patients dietary and exercise habits, but do
not eliminate the blood glucose excursions that lead to life-threatening
hypoglycemia and vascular damaging hyperglycemia in many patients In
adults, T1D remains a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, and
amputation, and additional strategies are needed to prevent or slow the
development of these micro-vascular complications Current trials of
adjuvant medical therapy, closed-loop insulin delivery systems, and
transplantation of pancreatic islets offer substantial hope for the future
An essential mission of this unit is the translation of advances made in
the basic sciences to improvements in the clinical care of patients with
T1D [link to clinical studies] This mission already began at Penn in the
early 1970s when Dr Clyde Barker led one of the first research teams
that
successfully transplanted islet cells in an animal model of T1D Since
then, Penn investigators have aggressively studied both the autoimmune
process responsible for the development of T1D, and the alloimmune barriers
to successful transplantation of isolated islet or whole pancreatic tissue
This work has contributed to the successful application of
immunosuppressive strategies in patients with T1D at Penn who have received
whole pancreas transplants since the 1980s and isolated islet transplants
since 2001 Additional strategies that may either improve the function of
islet ?-cells or promote their regeneration are under active investigation
in multiple laboratories at Penn
The T1D Unit plans on working in concert with its partner units within
IDOM Examples of important areas of collaboration include the critical
role of insulin secretory defects in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the
impediment of obesity on achieving optimal glucose control in T1D, and the
impact of hyperglycemia on the development of cardiovascular complications
Finally, the translation of progress in the basic sciences to clinical
studies will utilize the support of the Patient-Oriented Research
Unit
Source:arab-diabetes.com
