Leadership:
Jon Odorico, MD, Director
Michelle Kimple, PhD, Co-Director
Core Description:
The pancreatic islet is the master regulator of glucose homeostasis and therefore defects in islet function or declines in islet mass are central to the pathogenesis of diabetes. Therapies that specifically target the islet, particularly those that can promote islet regeneration or survival in the face of multiple stressors, are critically lacking and many patients with diabetes become insulin dependent. Advancing our understanding of islet biology, with an emphasis on translational research in the human islet, is crucial to improving the lives of patients with diabetes. The overall goal of the Islet Core will be to facilitate advanced, cutting-edge discoveries in islet biology through provision of infrastructure, training, and Core services. The Islet Core will meet a critical need to support both the world-class islet biologists and those investigators new to islet research who have exciting technologies and hypotheses to apply to islet research. To accomplish this goal, the Islet Core will provide key services including rodent and human islet isolations, islet assays, and consultative and training services on key islet technologies. The ability to obtain freshly isolated, high-quality human islets from non-diabetic and diabetic organ donors is a unique feature of the islet core and leverages the decades of experience of the UW Human Islet Isolation Core. The Islet Core directors and staff have extensive expertise in the isolation, purification, and cellular and molecular characterization of mouse and human islets and these services are supported by state-of-the-art dedicated Core facilities and equipment. The Islet Core will lower barriers to the implementation of rodent and human islet methods through its provision of cost-effective, high quality, individualized services. This core is still under development, but if you could like further information about human islet isolations contact Dr. Jon Odorico (jon@surgery.wisc.edu) or rodent islet isolations contact Michelle Kimple (mkimple@medicine.wisc.edu).