Press Releases
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation launches
Centre for Insulin Secreting Cell Replacement in Montreal
New Centre Receives Over $2.6 Million
Montreal, October 17, 2002 - Research to find a viable
cure for juvenile diabetes, also known as type 1 diabetes, received
a boost today with the launch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation (JDRF) Centre for Beta Cell Replacement at McGill University
and Université de Montréal. The announcement was
made at McGill University.
Under the leadership of Lawrence Rosenberg, MD, PhD, at McGill
University Health Centre and co-director Marc Prentki, PhD of
Université de Montréal, the Centre will address
one of the major obstacles in islet transplantation: the critical
shortage of beta cells available for transplants. Although islet
transplantation from donor pancreases can restore normal insulin
production in people with Type 1 diabetes, the next critical step
is getting more islets from each pancreas. The Centre will develop
and attempt to expand the supply of beta cells and seek to protect
and preserve beta cell function in transplants.
The Centre is being funded with a $2.6 million grant from JDRF
over a three-year period. "JDRF has been funding islet transplantation
as one of its priorities worldwide and is moving the field forward
at an accelerated pace," commented Richard Furlanetto, PhD,
Scientific Director, JDRF. " We have fostered an era of communication
and cooperation among research centres worldwide to address this
supply problem."
Researchers at the JDRF Centre for Beta Cell Replacement will
use various technologies to expand the beta-cell pool by "tweaking"
the mature islets back to an immature form where they will again
multiply. Once they have multiplied sufficiently, researchers
will study how to change them back to beta cells. Centre scientists
have also identified other cell types in the pancreas which, under
the right conditions, can be induced to synthesize and secrete
insulin.
"The recent success of islet transplantation made in the
Edmonton Protocol at the JDRF Centre for Clinical Islet Transplantation
at the University of Alberta two years ago, in patients with very
severe life-threatening problems with glucose control, has set
the stage for widespread application of this approach. However,
given the current organ donation rate and the inefficiencies inherent
in the islet isolation procedure, it is estimated that only 0.6
percent of the possible recipients will be transplanted. We need
to expand the insulin-producing beta-cell mass and are working
closely with our Edmonton colleagues," commented Dr. Rosenberg.
Researchers have also undertaken two projects aimed at protecting
transplanted islets and increasing their survival. "We will
conduct laboratory studies and use rat models to examine how high
levels of glucose and various fatty acids -prevalent in today's
food environment - harm beta cells. This will help scientists
design strategies for beta cell survival using diet and drugs,"
commented Dr. Prentki.
The other effort to protect transplanted cells includes a new
approach to administering anti-rejection drugs in a biodegradable,
plastic sheath that will release its contents slowly, specifically
targeting the transplanted tissue. This approach is a promising
way of combining drug therapy together with the transplanted beta
cells.
About the MUHC Research Institute
The Research Institute at McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)
located in Montreal, Quebec, is Canada's largest concentration
of biomedical and health-care researchers. The institute has over
500 researchers, nearly 650 graduate and post-doctoral students
and 306 laboratories devoted to research. The mission of the institute
is to facilitate investigator-initiated and discovery-driven research
that creates new knowledge. This research is inextricably linked
to clinical programs, which provide a bench-to-bedside-to-community
continuum. The MUHC research institute is renowned as a world-class
research institution that operates at the forefront of new knowledge,
innovation, trends, and technologies.
About the Centre de Recherche du CHUM
The Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université
de Montréal (CRCHUM) is the second largest hospital associated
medical research centre in Quebec. It resulted from the fusion
of the research centres of Hôpital Notre Dame, Hotel Dieu
and Hôpital St Luc. The CRCHUM has over 300 researchers
and nearly 400 graduate and post-doctoral students working in
both basic and clinically oriented research. It is a world-renown
institution whose mission is to foster investigator-initiated
research and biomedical innovation.
About JDRF
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is the world's largest non-profit,
non-governmental funder of diabetes research. JDRF's mission is
clear - to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through
the support of research. Since its inception, JDRF has given over
$700 million to diabetes research. The Foundation has been behind
every major advancement in diabetes research in Canada and around
the world.
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For more information please contact:
Christine Zeindler, MSc
Communications Coordinator (Research)
McGill University Health Centre Communications Services
(514) 934-1934 ext. 36419
pager: (514) 406-1577
or
Zaheer Molu
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
1-877-287-3533 ext. 225
[email protected]