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Breakthrough T1D Center of Excellence

The Breakthrough T1D Center of Excellence in Northern California is a cure accelerator and a high impact partnership between Stanford University and UCSF within the collaborative structure and support that are hallmarks of Breakthrough T1D. Investigators at the Center seek to better understand and target the interactions between the immune system and the beta cell, in an effort to deliver first-generation, stem cell-based cures for type 1 diabetes.

Islet transplantation has proven to be a viable cure for T1D, but it is not widely applicable due to its reliance upon organ donation, and the need to take immunosuppressive drugs for the patient’s lifetime. This Center will utilize innovative beta cell biology, immunology and a variety of other novel treatments to drive a cell replacement solution that is widely available to people with T1D and without the need for chronic immunosuppression.

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Discover and explain how immune cells interact with islets and beta cells in type 1 diabetes

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Generate islets and immune cells from stem cells as the basis for next-generation cell therapies

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Develop an islet transplant protocol that will induce tolerance and not require immunosuppression

Our Team

Many members of our team have previously received Breakthrough T1D early-career development grants, in addition to being awarded Breakthrough T1D grant funding. The Center is the culmination of decades of Breakthrough T1D investments in these scientific leaders and their research, and it coalesces brilliant minds to accelerate our understanding of the complex science around T1D autoimmunity and identify paths forward toward cures.

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