The chair of the Bioengineering Department at The University of Texas at Arlington is working on an invention that will allow for better treatment of Type 1 diabetes patients.
Michael Cho's approach, which he recently patented, will aid doctors in increasing the viability and efficacy of islet cell transplants. Islet cells make insulin and are found in the pancreas.
Currently for Type 1 patients, a successful islet cell transplant means living insulin-free for up to five years, categorizing the patient as cured. But the transplant has to be done quickly, as typically islet cells can only survive outside the pancreas for about three days.
Cho's invention essentially stimulates the islet cells with light of selective wavelengths, which he and his graduate researchers have found both increases insulin production and the lifespan of the cells outside the pancreas. People receiving the donated but pre-treated islets could live insulin-free longer than five years.
"Doctors will have more time to assess and determine which patients are the better recipients of donor islet cells," said Cho, the Alfred R. and Janet H. Potvin Endowed Chair in Bioengineering. "Currently, the FDA-approved islet transplantation procedure offers the best hope for Type 1 diabetic patients."
The next step for Cho and his team is to conduct experiments that test their new protocols.
"It's exciting," said Kelli Fowlds, one of Cho's doctoral students. "We can see how what we do in the lab impacts people's lives."
Anne Alsup, another doctoral student, said her role has been to find ways to repair islet cells that might be damaged, which leads into other research areas, such as trying to get the pancreas to function as best as possible.
"It could be viewed as a small, incremental step forward, but it can open wide to other bigger discoveries," Alsup said.
Mia Grubbs, a first-year doctoral student, said Cho and the rest of the team are providing her with invaluable experience.
"The dream is ultimately to contribute to something that can change more than a few people's lives," she said.
Diabetes is one of the most common diseases in the country, affecting about 11% of Americans. There are about 2 million Americans with Type 1 diabetes. In Texas, about 12% of the population has diabetes.
"We're making progress but there has not been a silver bullet," Cho said. "I'm both excited and gratified that our recent discovery, fueled by bright and dedicated graduate students and supported by the Alfred R. and Janet H. Potvin Endowment, is meaningfully contributing to this effort."
