How digestive-pancreas cells affect insulin-producing beta cells
Official title: Using ex vivo, in vivo models and patient mutations to interrogate pancreatic exocrine-endocrine cross talk
Funded at Joslin Diabetes Center · NIH-11144314 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at whether molecules released by pancreatic acinar and duct cells change how insulin-producing beta cells work in people with or at risk for type 1 diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Joslin Diabetes Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $882,433 |
| NIH project number | 5U01DK135095-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11144314 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) with type 1 diabetes, people known to carry CEL or related pancreatic mutations, or individuals willing to donate pancreatic or islet tissue or biospecimens would be the most relevant participants.
✕Less likely to help
Children under 21, people without pancreatic conditions, or those unable to provide tissue or biospecimens are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You would learn how proteins and other secretions from pancreatic acinar and duct cells influence human islets and insulin-producing beta cells. The team will use patient-derived mutations (including mutant CEL), expose isolated human islets and beta cells to secretions from acinar versus duct cells ex vivo, and monitor changes in cell function and survival. Complementary in vivo models will be used to see how these interactions affect living tissue, and the results will guide new hypotheses about acinar-duct-islet cross-talk in type 1 diabetes. Findings aim to map molecular signals that could be targeted to protect or restore beta cell health.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal signals that harm or protect beta cells and point to new ways to preserve or restore insulin production in type 1 diabetes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown mutant CEL can be taken up by beta cells and impair their function, so parts of this approach build on existing findings while the full cross-talk mapping is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Joslin Diabetes Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kulkarni, Rohit N. — Joslin Diabetes Center
- Study coordinator: Kulkarni, Rohit N.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.