Pioneer Award presented to Dr. Kent by the Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes

Dr. Kent was recognized by the Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes (nPOD) with a Pioneer Award for her “continued dedication to create a world free of Type 1 Diabetes.”  Kent Lab presented data at nPOD's Annual Scientific Meeting from studies of white blood cells from within the islets of a recent-onset T1D donor.  The donor had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just five months before he passed away, at the age of 23.  FULL STORY

Kent Lab isolates immune cells from the islets of donors with T1D

In a highly collaborative effort, scientists at UMass Chan Medical School have isolated and characterized a large bank of live islet-infiltrating T cells directly from the islets of tissue donors with type 1 diabetes. The findings, published in Nature Medicine, have direct implications for the design of therapies and preventative strategies for those with type 1 diabetes and those at risk for developing it. 

Using live islets from nine type 1 diabetic donors, Kent Lab sorted live lymphocytes by fluorescence activated cell sorting.  They also used an improved tissue culture method they developed to grow lymphocytes from the islets. 236 T cell lines were derived from the islets, and they analyzed the function of 50 lines, discovering the specific reactivities of 18 lines.  LEARN MORE