Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

The Chemical Biology Program has dedicated a significant effort toward understanding pancreatic beta-cell function and proliferation in the context of type-1 diabetes, a disease resulting from the autoimmune destruction of these beta cells. Even the most rigorous attempts to manage blood glucose fall short of the exquisite regulation achieved by unimpaired pancreatic islets. Consequently, a therapeutic approach that restores islet function in vivo with the use of small molecules would offer exceptional benefit to diabetic patients.

This project is focused on the discovery of small molecules that either regenerate beta-cell function or amplify the number of functional beta cells. The approach aims to change the beta-cell state in vivo with small molecules in a way that increases overall beta-cell mass and performance. In an ideal therapeutic setting, small molecules derived from these agents would accomplish their actions on beta-cell function and number in vivo, without the need for islet transplantation and its associated immunosuppressive therapy.

This project is funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The research team comprises professional scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students; the organization of such a Project Team has enabled a collaborative approach oriented toward a common goal.