Download Discoveries in Diabetes Spring 2016

Spring 2016
Discoveries in Diabetes
A publication for
those who support
diabetes research,
education, and care
at the University
of Minnesota
Needle in a haystack
U immunology team seeks to track down the rare, renegade cells
in the body that cause diabetes—and then shut them down
Immunologist Brian Fife, Ph.D., is playing a high-stakes version of “Where’s Waldo” in his quest to
eliminate diabetes.
Scientists know that CD4 T cells cause type 1 diabetes. But even finding the specific subset of T cells
among trillions of other cells in the human body presents an enormous challenge.
At the University of Minnesota, Fife is leading an effort to track down these renegade cells and shut
them down. Once the cellular culprits are located, a treatment designed by Fife aims to stop diabetes
by eliminating or “re-educating” the T cells—in essence teaching them not to instigate the immune
response that causes diabetes.
Diabetes education
efforts target
Minnesota-Somali kids
page 3
It’s the 20th annual
Golf Classic ‘fore’
Diabetes Research
page 3
U’s endocrinology
clinics now have
a new home
page 4
Fife, an assistant professor in the
Department of Medicine’s Division
of Rheumatic and Autoimmune
Diseases and the Center for
Immunology, has been working
on this novel therapy for about
five years. First, he and his
10-person lab proved that the
approach works in mice; they used
biomarkers to find the diabetescausing T cells and reversed the
disease. Now they are developing
the same technology for people
who have type 1 diabetes.
It’s not easy work. The lab is
scouring patients’ blood samples
continued on page 2
Image courtesy of Brian Fife, Ph.D.
Even one of these rare CD4 T cells, stained blue in this image from a diabetic
mouse pancreas, can set off the immune reaction that causes type 1 diabetes.
Needle in a haystack (continued from cover)
for cells that are found at a frequency of one in
1 million to 5 million. “It’s a very rare and hardto-find antigen-specific CD4 T cell in the blood,”
Fife says. “We’re looking for a rare event—a
needle in a haystack.”
In type 1 diabetes, the immune system
mistakenly attacks insulin-producing beta cells
in the pancreas and damages the organ. “The
body thinks it’s fighting a foreign threat and will
continue to fight it until it’s gone. That’s why
diabetes is so devastating,” Fife says. “We have
to re-educate the body so it knows it shouldn’t
fight itself.”
Brian Fife, Ph.D.
Long term, Fife aims to develop a way to identify
type 1 diabetes in at-risk people, like siblings
of people who have the condition, long before
it starts destroying the pancreas. Subsequent
cell therapy would prevent diabetes from taking
root. He also wants to treat people with earlyonset and long-term diabetes to stop the disease
from causing deeper damage.
The Fife lab now is working on developing
several biomarkers for tracking down the
antigen that triggers the immune system to
attack itself. It’s complicated work that mirrors
the complex nature of the disease. Once
diabetes is established, it may be fueled by
additional antigens. That might require diverse
therapies for different cells, Fife explains.
Searching for the A+ treatment for type 2 diabetes
The University of Minnesota is recruiting people who have type 2
diabetes to participate in the nationwide gradE study, which aims to
find the best combination of medications to treat the disease. People
who have had type 2 diabetes for less than 10 years and are taking only
metformin for diabetes control may be eligible.
All participants will receive close follow-up care
from a team at the University and diabetes
medications at no charge. To learn more,
visit gradestudy.com or contact Mary
at 612-626-0143 or [email protected].
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A+
Help advance diabetes science
The Fife lab is looking for people to
participate in diabetes research. People
who have type 1 diabetes and their firstdegree family members (parents and
siblings) may contribute to the research
by having their cheeks swabbed and by
donating blood. Researchers will use
the samples to search for the T cells
that cause diabetes.
To participate in
the study, contact
the laboratory team
at [email protected]
or 612-624-6149.
Ultimately, once the technology is proven for
combating diabetes in humans, Fife believes it
could be modified to treat other autoimmune
conditions such as multiple sclerosis, celiac
disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory
bowel disease.
Fife’s work has received significant funding from
the National Institutes of Health, Minnesota
Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical
Genomics (which involves the University
and Mayo Clinic), Minnesota Lions Diabetes
Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation, and American Diabetes Association.
Fife says these critical dollars have helped further
his research and build out his team of Ph.D.-level
scientists, doctoral students, and technicians.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have been funded
during these difficult funding times,” he adds.
“The more money you have, the more research
you can do, and the faster you can test ideas and
discover answers to these complicated questions.”
Make a gift to Fife’s research today at give.umn.
edu/giveto/fifelab, or learn more by contacting
Russell Betts at the University of Minnesota
Foundation: 612-626-4569 or [email protected].
Collaborating for better diabetes control
New educational materials aim to improve diabetes knowledge
among Minnesota-Somali children and their families
Researchers from the University of Minnesota
and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
are teaming up to develop new diabetes
educational materials for Minnesota-Somali
children and their families.
“We’ve noticed that the Somali children we’re
treating have worse type 1 diabetes control than
their non-Somali counterparts,” says Muna Sunni,
M.B.B.Ch., a pediatric endocrinologist at University
of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital and an
assistant professor at the U. “We believe that a
potential contributing factor stems from a lack of
culturally relevant education materials.”
Sunni and Jennifer Kyllo, M.D., an endocrinologist
at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota,
will be developing new educational materials to
address this issue with funding provided by the
first Child Health Collaborative Grant, a twoyear, $200,000 award funded by the University’s
Clinical and Translational Science Institute
(CTSI); the Medical School’s Department of
Pediatrics; and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics
of Minnesota.
Sunni and Kyllo will work with parents of Somali
children who have type 1 diabetes to identify
cultural gaps and barriers affecting care, such as
mealtime customs, religious practices,
and food preferences. Educational
materials—including videos that are
intended to reach a larger audience
and bypass literacy barriers—will be
produced in Somali.
“We hope these videos and other
culturally relevant materials will be
implemented in Somali communities
across the United States,” says Kyllo.
“By creating a model for educating
Somali and other minority groups,
we could make a huge impact on a
wide range of health issues.”
Through the Child Health
Collaborative Grant, CTSI and
its community research partners will
continue to fund collaborations outside the
University that address important yet unmet
child health issues in Minnesota. The grant will be
awarded every two years.
Don’t miss the 20th annual
Jeff Passolt’s Golf Classic ‘fore’ Diabetes Research
Monday, June 13 • The Meadows at Mystic Lake, Prior Lake
This event benefits work at the University of Minnesota’s Schulze Diabetes
Institute and its research partner, Spring Point Project, to advance a cure for
diabetes. Join in the fun and help support a tournament that has raised more than
$6 million for diabetes research since its inception.
For more information, visit diabetesgolfclassic.org.
3
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. postage
University of Minnesota Foundation
McNamara Alumni Center
200 Oak Street SE, Suite 500
Minneapolis, MN 55455-2010
Paid
Twin Cities, MN
permit no. 90155
ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED
Innovation and accessibility
The new, state-of-the-art University of Minnesota Health Clinics and
Surgery Center has just opened its doors.
The 342,000-square-foot facility houses 37 medical specialties, as well
as lab and imaging services, a retail pharmacy, a café, an outpatient
surgery center, and other clinical services. Endocrinology clinics and
diabetes educators are located on the building’s third floor.
Housing so many specialties under a single roof promotes greater
communication between the various medical specialists who may be
part of each patient’s care team. In fact, the building incorporates several
“collaboration spaces” for providers to discuss patients’ care plans.
The Clinics and Surgery Center also makes prominent the latest research
and medical innovations through its “Discovery Experience.” Visitors
will find video monitors promoting clinical trials and other research
opportunities in the center, as well as kiosks throughout the building that
offer quick access to StudyFinder, a U of M website that highlights health
research opportunities for both patients and healthy volunteers.
Other enhancements to the patient experience include an easier-toaccess location (just off of I-94), extended clinic hours, convenient
scheduling, easy check-in and check-out, and improved valet parking
services. Learn more at mhealth.org/clinics-and-surgery-center.
Photo by Brady Willette
Discoveries in Diabetes Spring 2016
Published twice a year by the
University of Minnesota Foundation
To learn more or make a gift,
please contact:
The University of Minnesota is an equal
opportunity educator and employer.
Nicole Endres, Editor
Suzy Frisch, Writer
Lisa Haines, juju, Design
Russell Betts
Development Officer
612-626-4569 (direct)
[email protected]
give.umn.edu/diabetes
©2016 University of Minnesota
Foundation. All rights reserved.