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Anti-inflammatory regulators in pancreatic islets: role in physiology and diabetes

Research Project
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01.01.2014
 - 31.12.2015

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated with a state of chronic low-grade inflammation characterized by proinflammatory immune infiltrates in the endocrine organs, including pancreatic islets. While extensive research has focused of the role of inflammation in the development of metabolic complications, rare studies highlighted the role of benign resident immune cells in tissue physiology during leanness and/or health. Resident immune cells are able to react to changes in physiology and allow the host to restore homeostasis to the tissue. To our knowledge, no comprehensive analysis of pancreatic islet resident immune cells and their potential role in islet function has been reported yet. Therefore, our project will help to identify the resident immune cells of the pancreatic islets and how they influence pancreatic islet function in physiology and during inflammation induced by metabolic stress such as type 2 diabetes. Our preliminary data strongly support the hypothesis that enhancement of type 2 immunity is likely to improve islet function and mediate protection against obesityinduced metabolic stress. We will phenotype the resident immune cells within islets and then we will assess which factors promote immune cell residency and whether pancreatic islets express endogenous mediators to sustain type 2 immunity. Our project will provide insights into new defence mechanisms that might protect pancreatic islets to cope with mild but regular stress, opening new avenues to the conception of novel antiinflammatory immunotherapies in the field of metabolic diseases.

Members (3)

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Elise Dalmas

Principal Investigator
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Marianne Böni-Schnetzler

Co-Investigator
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Marc Donath

Co-Investigator