Research Update: Deciphering the biochemical language of cell-to-cell communication in pancreatic islets, during development and in postnatal life
September 9, 2021
7:00 pm
Join JDRF and Diabetes Research Center at the University of Washington virtually on September 9th at 7pm PST for an evening of T1D Research.
Dr. Vincenzo Cirulli is a physician scientist who has dedicated his entire career to the study of “cell adhesion molecules”, a special class of proteins that regulate cell-to-cell interactions and communications in virtually all tissues of the body, including pancreatic islets. In his presentation, Dr. Cirulli will report on some of his team’s discoveries on the function of these molecules as biochemical signals that immature pancreatic islet progenitors use to “talk to one another” during development and decide how to move forward, i.e. become insulin-producing cells or glucagon-producing cells. In work supported by the JDRF, his laboratory has recently discovered that the purposeful manipulation of some of these special molecules can trigger the replication and regeneration of adult islet cells, opening new opportunities for the expansion of human islet tissue to be used for transplantation in diabetic patients, and/or to promote their regeneration.
Speakers
Dr. Vincenzo Cirulli
Associate Professor, University of Washington
BioDr. Vincenzo Cirulli
Associate Professor, University of Washington
The focus of Dr. Cirulli’s research program is on mechanisms of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions affecting developmental decisions in the embryonic and postnatal pancreas, with special emphasis on their signaling properties in the specification, differentiation and function of the pancreatic islet cell lineage. These investigations build on 25+ years of hands-on experience with both rodent and human pancreatic islets, and on a keen interest in translating his expertise to complementary areas of diabetes research. Significant efforts in his laboratory are also being devoted to apply this knowledge to the biology of stem cells, with the ultimate goal of generating insulin-producing cells from ESCs and/or iPSCs. Most recently, Dr. Cirulli has been working on integrating this expertise with other scientists with the ultimate objective of developing transformational cell-based replacement therapies for the treatment of type 1 and possibly type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Hirsch
Community Honoree
Professor and Diabetes Treatment and Teaching Chair University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle
BioDr. Hirsch
Community Honoree
Professor and Diabetes Treatment and Teaching Chair University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle
Dr. Hirsch received his medical degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine in 1984. He completed residency training in internal medicine at the University of Miami, in Miami, Florida and Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, Florida and a research fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
From both a research and teaching point of view, Dr. Hirsch’s career has focused on studying the best strategies for the use of insulin therapy and technologies in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. More recently, he has become interested in glycemic data management from continuous glucose monitoring and its relationship to more traditional diabetes biomarkers for the prediction of microvascular disease. He is currently evaluating new pharmacologic strategies for treating diabetic kidney disease in type 1 diabetes in addition to the skin pathology occurring from insulin pump therapy. In collaboration with experts around the world and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, he is also investigating appropriate glycemic targets for critically ill and bone marrow transplant patients, with and without diabetes. Over the years, he has been a passionate advocate for patients ensuring access and affordability for insulin and glucose monitoring technology. Dr. Hirsch has authored more than 300 research papers, more than 60 editorials, and numerous book chapters. In 2024, he co-authored a review of cardiovascular risk prevention in type 1 diabetes for the New England Journal of Medicine. He has participated in numerous international consensus guideline committees, including those for diabetes technology, inpatient hyperglycemia, type 1 diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, and precision medicine in diabetes.
In 2024 Dr. Hirsch retired from his clinical practice at the UW Diabetes Institute, a clinic he started in 1990.
Event Contact
Karis Tsolomitis
206-708-2240 | ktsolomitis@jdrf.org
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