The Type 1 Diabetes research group focuses on how bacteria in the intestines affect the onset of Diabetes in non-obese Diabetic Mice(NOD). Histology is the main focus of our research which is used to see in to these organs to visualize the bacteria and what is happening within tissue cells. Many stains and antibodies are used to see different areas of interest in a specific tissue type. ABPAS is used to visualize goblet cells and mucus in the intestine, islet immuno staining looks for cells producing insulin in the pancreas, MUC 2 immunostaining uses an antibody to visual the mucus layer in the intestine, FISH looks for bacteria in the intestine. This past year our group has been testing out new methods to perfect tissue processing, embedding, and staining procedures to get clearer results. The results have shown that once the bacteria gets in to the intestinal walls the islet cells in the pancreas are attacked by mutated T Cells which cuts off insulin production.
Moving forward this group is going to use flow cytometry to follow different immune cell populations like macrophages and T Cells in tissues like the thymus and major lymph nodes. These tissues also need to be from mice in different diabetic stages so we can see how the immune cell populations change as diabetes progresses in NOD mice. I intend to become a Physician assistant and this research has shown me just how much work goes into figuring out a cause of a disease so a medicine can be made to treat it. It has also shown me that keeping up with relevant medical research is important for a career in the healthcare field.
Author(s): Melody Lebus, Ashley Koby, Colby Collins, Isabela Davis, Zoe Flores-Rae, Mckenzie Paul
Advisor(s): ): Michael Kennedy, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
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