At the IGTP TODAY
Immunology of Diabetes
A study led by researchers from IGTP's Immunology of Diabetes group has identified new microRNA as biomarkers for the partial remission phase, also known as "honeymoon phase", of type 1 diabetes, and has linked the miR-30d-5p microRNA to immunoregulatory processes that may take place during this phase.
The first study, published in Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, seeks a strategy to safely and definitevely restore self-tolerance in autoimmune diseases; the second, in Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis, bets on making the most of umbilical cord blood cells, key against hematological diseases
The Immunology of Diabetes group have published a study evaluating the effect of prenatal exposure to betamethasone on the risk of developing diabetes type 1 in the Journal of Diabetes Research.
A study led by researchers from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) and the Parc Tauli Hospital published in Frontiers in Immunology shows that a sample of peripheral blood can be used to identify levels of cells and molecules of the immune system that are specifically altered during the remission phase in paediatric type 1 diabetes (T1D). These can be used to monitor this phase and predict the progress of the disease.
The Immunology of Diabetes Group, led by Marta Vives-PI has shown that levels of 4 subtypes of natural killer (NK) cells in the blood of Type 1 Diabetes patients change through different stages of the disease. These cells have a complex role in the immune attack during T1D and have been implicated in both the destruction and protection of insulin-producing cells. This pilot study, published in Frontiers in Immunology, tracks the levels of 4 subtypes of NK cells and suggests that these cells are good candidate biomarkers for disease progression.
The Immunology of Diabetes Group, led by Dr. Marta Vives-Pi, have published a paper in Scientific Reports on a successful combination therapy for a type 1 diabetes (T1D) model in Scientific Reports. In this study they continue their work on a drug that re-programmes pancreatic cells in mice with T1D), by combining it with an immunotherapy they have also developed.
Researchers from IGTP have published an article on the identification of a drug for beta cell regeneration in type 1 diabetes. The drug is already licenced for use in people with type 2 diabetes. Using artificial intelligence researchers selected the drug from 6,605 candidates and tested it in mouse models. The drug improved hyperglycaemia and results indicate that beta cell replacement took place. More research is needed to explore its use as a new therapy for beta cell regeneration, which should be combined with an immunomodulatory strategy to reduce autoimmunity.
To celebrate World Diabetes Day we will literally be talking about the illness at the IGTP; several members of the Immunology of Diabetes Group, which is led by Marta Vives-Pi and concentrates on research into diabetes type 1, will be taking part in talks and discussions in scientific and public forums during the next few days.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is supporting a team of scientists that includes a group at the IGTP, led from the Andalusian research centre Cabimer, in their search for a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Researchers in the Immunology of Diabetes Group at the IGTP are participating in the project as expert immunologists as they have wide experience of immunotherapies for T1D.
This Thursday the Llavaneres Golf Club hosted the 1st Pep Anglès Golf Tournament, a charity event for the Amics de Can Ruti (Friends of Can Ruti) and research at the IGTP. It is the first edition of the fundraising event organized by the player and his club and more than 10,000 euros have been raised for research into childhood diabetes at Can Ruti.
