Overview of Research Program
Diabetes/Transplantation Immunobiology Group
Research Program
Within the Diabetes and Autoimmunity program, research focuses on two experimental models of autoimmune disease, autoimmune-induced insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) in the NOD mouse and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). These models represent the best available systems in which to gain insight into the possible factors regulating Type 1 Diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS) in humans and they are also the best systems in which to design approaches for therapeutic intervention.
Goals:
The fundamental goals in our program are to identify and establish the immune regulation required to restore self-tolerance to autoantigens i.e. thereby prevent (or reverse the progression of) autoimmune diseases such as insulin-dependent diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Similarly, our goal is to identify the immune regulation needed to establish tolerance to foreign antigens on a tissue transplant, as a treatment for Type 1 diabetes.
The main objectives of the program are to: i) understand the underlying mechanisms of cell mediated autoimmunity, and ii) to devise therapeutic strategies for the prevention, intervention and treatment of these autoimmune diseases.
The program has had an ongoing interest in transferring knowledge gained in basic science studies into the clinic; as a direct result, some members of the program are currently conducting clinical trials of intervention therapy for insulin-dependent diabetes.
