The University of South Florida will continue efforts to find causes of type 1 diabetes
Great news for the University of South Florida — the school has received a $70 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue its research into the causes of type 1 diabetes.
USF houses the region’s foremost facility for diabetes and endocrinology research and treatment, and it is the only academic medical center in the area. It is also one of only 20 type 1 Diabetes TrialNet facilities in the world, and one of only three in the State of Florida.
For decades, Type 1 diabetes was previously thought to be caused by genetic factors. It occurs when the body mistakenly attacks insulin-producing cells in a persons’ pancreas, which eventually will result in the body not producing insulin.
The funds from the NIH will be distributed over the next four years to USF and will assist researchers in furthering analyses on how environmental factors contribute to the development of type 1 diabetes. The USF Diabetes and Endocrinology Center has been studying this possibility since 2004, under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Krischer.
“Dr. Krischer and his team have provided valuable insights into the interplay between genetic and environmental factors underlying the complex disease process of autoimmune diabetes,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “Their work, powered by a research platform supporting high-performance computing and big data, is rigorous and critically important for finding new treatments and preventive approaches.”
The study has tracked more than 8,500 newborns, from birth to the age of 15, and found that the number of type 1 diabetes cases has escalated beyond that of a genetic disease. USF researchers believe that T1D has environmental causes as well, which are likely exaggerated by climate change.
By Jen Clark
