Loren and Mike Gordon. Image by Sonya Yruel
A personal investigation into the lifelong implications of his type 1 diabetes (T1D) culminated in a $7 million gift from Mike Gordon, co-founder of Meritech Capital Partners, and his wife, Loren, to help UCSF surmount a key impediment to treating the disease. The funds will support world-class stem cell biologists, immunologists, and bioengineers who are working to overcome significant barriers to beta-cell replacement therapy as an effective treatment for T1D.
Diagnosed when he was just 22 months old, Gordon went through a whole pancreas transplant at UCSF nearly 12 years ago. As a result, he has fewer complications from T1D but must take immunosuppressant drugs and endure the health risks that come with them for the rest of his life.
We wanted to give these researchers freedom to explore bold ideas.
Mike Gordon
Ive suffered a lot from this disease, Gordon said. People say, Its not that bad. Its a chronic condition. But you can fall apart.
Some 1.6 million people in the US have T1D, a disease that is often disabling and can become life-threatening. Diagnoses typically occur in childhood, but not always. The disease develops when the patients immune system attacks its own beta cells, which make insulin in the pancreas. The resulting lack of insulin leaves the body unable to absorb sugar from the bloodstream and convert it into energy, so sugar builds up in the blood. Patients are subject to a lifelong dependence on insulin and are at a higher risk for heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and other chronic conditions, in addition to shortened average life expectancy.
Beta cell-replacement therapy has shown enormous promise for T1D patients. Beta cells make up 50%-70% of the cells in human pancreatic islets groups of cells in the pancreas that produce blood glucose-regulating hormones and they are the sole producers of insulin in the body. However, replacement beta cells dont live long, and the immune system often rejects the ones that do survive. To prevent the immune system from attacking the replacement cells, immunosuppressants are necessary, but they can be toxic and leave patients vulnerable to malignancies and other infections. UCSF scientists are poised to find solutions to these challenges.
So often the NIH provides funds for low-risk projects where outcomes are more predictable, Gordon said. We didnt want that; we wanted to give these researchers freedom to explore bold ideas.
The research team will use the Gordons investment to help answer two big questions: How can they prolong the survival of replacement beta cells after transplantation? And, can the need for patients to take immunosuppressive drugs be eliminated? The answers to these questions will be a game-changer for patients around the world.
Four interdisciplinary investigators will lead the research:
Julie B. Sneddon, PhDAssistant professor in the UCSF Diabetes Center, the UCSF Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, and the UCSF Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
Currently, islet-cell replacement relies on obtaining pancreatic tissue from deceased human donors. Thanks to groundbreaking advances during the last decade, beta cells can now be laboratory-generated from pluripotent stem cells, which means supplies, in theory, are unlimited. This creates an opportunity to engineer the stem cell-derived beta cells in ways that support their survival and help them avoid attack by the immune system.
We used to say we were 10 years away from a cure for T1D. We still might be. But if you look at the advances in cell biology and immunology, we have the road map now, Parent said.
Over the past five years, Drs. Parent, Tang, Sneddon, and Desai have co-advised trainees, joined forces on numerous projects, and published papers together. Their labs combine the fresh perspectives and innovation of junior faculty members with the expertise and experience of senior faculty members. The groups collective knowledge, unique understanding, and productive ongoing collaborations position them as an effective group to take on this challenge.
Insulin was first used to successfully treat a patient with type 1 diabetes a century ago, but it wasnt until 1980 that two Minnesota surgeons demonstrated successful intraportal islet transplantation in 10 patients with surgically induced diabetes (in which the patients own islet cells, or autografts, were infused back into their bodies after islet isolation). Ultimately, three of those patients achieved insulin independence for one, nine, and 38 months, respectively. In the last decade, significant strides have been made in groundbreaking technologies such as immunotherapy, metabolomics, and genomics. UCSF has been at the forefront of these advances, especially in immunology, with the Bakar ImmunoX initiative driving collaborative science and the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center using immunotherapies to find cures for some cancer patients.
All this progress has positively impacted diabetes research. Mark Anderson, MD, PhD, the Robert B. Friend and Michelle M. Friend Professor of Diabetes Research and the new director of the UCSF Diabetes Center, is optimistic about this moment in time and what it means for our patients with T1D and other diseases.
These developments provide unique opportunities for physician-scientists to research the molecular causes of diseases like T1D and potentially replace damaged tissues and repair malfunctioning organs, Anderson said.
Anderson believes that UCSF is one of the few places in the world capable of assembling this type of collaborative team. We are so fortunate to have the Gordons support and shared vision to help us realize the potential of cell transplantation without immune suppression, which could completely change the lives of those affected by T1D.
Read more from the original source:
Accelerating Transformational Research into Cell Transplantation for Patients with Type 1 Diabetes - UCSF
- Stem cells | Health Sciences - University of Minnesota [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2014]
- Stem Cell FAQs - MED - Stem Cell Institute, University of ... [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2014]
- Home - MED - Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2014]
- Minnesota Stem Cell Therapy | Stem Cell Treatments [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2014] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2014]
- Researchers find animal model for understudied type of muscular dystrophy [Last Updated On: August 30th, 2014] [Originally Added On: August 30th, 2014]
- Cancer Survivor Saved by Measles Virus Raises Funds for Expanded Trial [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2014]
- New heart built with stem cells - YouTube [Last Updated On: September 27th, 2014] [Originally Added On: September 27th, 2014]
- Becoming a blood stem cell or bone marrow donor ... [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2014]
- $25M gift prompts University pediatric hospital name change [Last Updated On: October 16th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 16th, 2014]
- Anti-Cancer Drug Effective Against Common Stem Cell Transplant Complication [Last Updated On: October 24th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 24th, 2014]
- Mayo Clinic Researchers Identify First Steps in Formation of Pancreatic Cancer [Last Updated On: November 10th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 10th, 2014]
- Cardio3 BioSciences Announces the Nomination of Three Co-Principal Investigators for Its CHART-2 Phase III Clinical ... [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2014]
- Reduction of germ cells yields more zebrafish males [Last Updated On: December 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: December 4th, 2014]
- Stem Cell Malaysia Blog [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2014]
- Childrens hospital gets $25M [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2014] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2014]
- Family: Experimental stem-cell treatment does wonders for Gordie Howe [Last Updated On: December 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: December 20th, 2014]
- Stem Cell Web Focus - Nature Publishing Group : science ... [Last Updated On: February 3rd, 2015] [Originally Added On: February 3rd, 2015]
- Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D. - MED - Stem Cell Institute ... [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2015] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2015]
- Bioelectricity Plays Key Role in Brain Development & Repair [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2015] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2015]
- Atsushi Asakura, Ph.D. - MED - Stem Cell Institute ... [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2015] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2015]
- Graduate Programs - MED - Stem Cell Institute, University ... [Last Updated On: April 26th, 2015] [Originally Added On: April 26th, 2015]
- Minnesota Man With ALS Hopes Stem Cells Save His Life ... [Last Updated On: July 2nd, 2015] [Originally Added On: July 2nd, 2015]
- 2. Bone Marrow (Hematopoietic) Stem Cells [Stem Cell ... [Last Updated On: October 19th, 2015] [Originally Added On: October 19th, 2015]
- Multipotent vs. pluripotent stem cells - Pathology Student [Last Updated On: October 19th, 2015] [Originally Added On: October 19th, 2015]
- Home - Minnesota Regenerative Medicine [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 18th, 2016]
- Stem Cell Treatment - Minnesota Regenerative Medicine [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 18th, 2016]
- STEM Programs - Minnesota Zoo [Last Updated On: September 5th, 2016] [Originally Added On: September 5th, 2016]
- Minnesota to resume umbilical cord blood donations ... [Last Updated On: September 20th, 2016] [Originally Added On: September 20th, 2016]
- Minnesota invests in regenerative medicine - Health Talk [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2016]
- Stem Cell FAQs - Minnesota Regenerative Medicine [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2016]
- Stem cell research Experts@Minnesota [Last Updated On: October 18th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 18th, 2016]
- Minnesotas Funding of Stem Cell Research Echoes Trend ... [Last Updated On: October 29th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 29th, 2016]
- Stemonix, a stem cell research firm, wins Minnesota Cup ... [Last Updated On: November 27th, 2016] [Originally Added On: November 27th, 2016]
- Stem-cell clinics are using a federal website as a marketing tool for unproven treatments, U of M bioethicist says - MinnPost [Last Updated On: July 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 30th, 2017]
- More than 60 US clinics have sold unproven stem cell therapies for heart failure - New York Post [Last Updated On: July 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 30th, 2017]
- Cargill invests in 'clean meat' start-up - KARE [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- Cowboy Up Ride Against Cancer - Wahpeton Daily News [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota develop 'robocop' stem cells to fight cancer - Minneapolis Star Tribune [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- FDA cracks down on stem cell clinics - CNN [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2017]
- 2018 Regenerative Medicine Minnesota Research Awards [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2018] [Originally Added On: August 17th, 2018]
- The Promise of Stem Cells | Stem Cell Institute ... [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2018] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2018]
- Stem-cell treatment gives two brothers a future ... [Last Updated On: March 3rd, 2019] [Originally Added On: March 3rd, 2019]
- Hoeven's bill supports alternative therapy for veterans with PTSD, traumatic brain injury - Ripon Advance [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2019]
- Why Sangamo Therapeutics Stock Sank Today - The Motley Fool [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2019]
- Coronavirus is similar to SARS and causes infection through a heart regulating enzyme: Study - International Business Times, Singapore Edition [Last Updated On: February 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: February 4th, 2020]
- A word for those risking their lives amid the coronavirus crisis: Thanks - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press [Last Updated On: April 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 4th, 2020]
- Fate Therapeutics Announces First Patient Treated in First-in-human Clinical Trial of FT596 and Provides Corporate Update - Yahoo Finance [Last Updated On: April 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 4th, 2020]
- Biotechnology Could Change the Cattle Industry. Will It Succeed? - Singularity Hub [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2020]
- University of Minnesota launches stem cell trial against severe COVID-19 - Minneapolis Star Tribune [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2020]
- University of Minnesota launches stem cell trial against ... [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Thursday update: UMN announces new stem cell ... [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2020]
- Berks County's first STEM-themed attraction opens, delights visitors young and old - Reading Eagle [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2020]
- NMDP/Be The Match partners with M Health Fairview and Duke University cryopreservation labs to launch Be The Match BioBank - Watauga Democrat [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2020]
- COVID-19 and the trials of treatment | News, Sports, Jobs - Escanaba Daily Press [Last Updated On: October 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 16th, 2020]
- Negrin Shines Light on the Orca-T Story in GVHD - OncLive [Last Updated On: December 11th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 11th, 2020]
- Our View: The need is vast. Consider becoming an organ donor. - PostBulletin.com [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 18th, 2021]
- EDITORIAL: The need is vast. Consider becoming an organ donor. - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 18th, 2021]
- Caribou Biosciences Appoints Biotechnology Industry Veteran Ran Zheng to its Board of Directors - Stockhouse [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2021] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2021]
- Four-year-old with rare disease finally gets historic gene therapy treatment - KARE11.com [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2021] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2021]
- Cells or drugs? The race to regenerate the heart - Scientific American [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2021]
- Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Potential for ... [Last Updated On: November 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: November 22nd, 2021]
- Minnesota woman reunites with teenager she saved through Be The Match transplant - KSTP [Last Updated On: April 19th, 2022] [Originally Added On: April 19th, 2022]
- Be the Match is looking for more ethnically diverse donors to help patients with blood cancers and diseases - KARE11.com [Last Updated On: June 4th, 2022] [Originally Added On: June 4th, 2022]
- Bluebird's future in balance as FDA weighs gene therapy approvals - BioPharma Dive [Last Updated On: June 13th, 2022] [Originally Added On: June 13th, 2022]
- Life-saving lecture: Auburn student uses lessons from class to help discover father's brain tumor - Office of Communications and Marketing [Last Updated On: June 22nd, 2022] [Originally Added On: June 22nd, 2022]
- Pluripotent stem cellderived NK cells with high-affinity noncleavable ... [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2022] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2022]
- TC BioPharm Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board with Renowned Cell Therapy Experts - GuruFocus.com [Last Updated On: July 11th, 2022] [Originally Added On: July 11th, 2022]
- Witt Wolfpack: Family works out fundraising and awareness after La Jollan's ALS diagnosis - La Jolla Light [Last Updated On: July 11th, 2022] [Originally Added On: July 11th, 2022]
- Engineers develop new tool that will allow for more personalized cell therapies - UMN News [Last Updated On: July 27th, 2022] [Originally Added On: July 27th, 2022]
- University of Minnesota scientist responds to fraud allegations in Alzheimer's research - Star Tribune [Last Updated On: July 27th, 2022] [Originally Added On: July 27th, 2022]
- Gamida Cell Announces Dosing of First Patient in Company-Sponsored Phase 1/2 Study of NK Cell Therapy Candidate GDA-201 - Business Wire [Last Updated On: August 14th, 2022] [Originally Added On: August 14th, 2022]
- Kyle Vining: Appointment to Faculty of Penn Dental Medicine and Penn School of Engineering and Applied Science - University of Pennsylvania [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2022] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2022]
- Zhang and colleagues win an $11.2 million NIH program project grant (PPG) - News - University of Alabama at Birmingham [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2022] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2022]
- What Are Zombie Cells? Here's How They Impact Aging - Prevention Magazine [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2022] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2022]
- ThreeSixty Journalism: Be The Match works to build equity in access to bone marrow and cord blood transplants - St. Paul Pioneer Press [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2022] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2022]
- A history of blood cancer treatment - - pharmaphorum [Last Updated On: September 16th, 2022] [Originally Added On: September 16th, 2022]
- A CRISPR Alternative for Correcting Mutations That Sensitize Cells to DNA Damage - The Scientist [Last Updated On: October 13th, 2022] [Originally Added On: October 13th, 2022]
- The Switch to Regenerative Medicine - Dermatology Times [Last Updated On: October 13th, 2022] [Originally Added On: October 13th, 2022]
- Stem cell treatment after spinal cord injury: The next steps - Mayo Clinic [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2022] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2022]