Kahn, Grodsky, Sussel
The Annual Grodsky award, supported by Diabetes Center at UCSF, was presented at the Western Region Islet Study Group (WRISG) meeting this year to Steve Kahn, MB, ChB, Director of University of Washington Diabetes Research Center, whose talk was “Clinical Observations and Science: Including Some Lessons Gerry Taught Me.” Present with Gerold Grodsky and Steve Kahn was Lori Sussel, Director of Basic and Translational Research at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at University of Colorado.
Kahn's basic science research revolves around the role of islet amyloid formation in the loss of β-cells and development of β-cell secretory dysfunction. As part of this work, he and his group have identified a number of islet proteins that have detrimental effects on the β-cell, including most recently the cholesterol transport protein Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein (StAR). They have also observed that the innate immune system is activated by amyloid formation and are examining the role of necroptosis, an immune form of cell death, in the loss of β-cells. Their work also aims to find novel approaches to prevent islet amyloidogenesis, including the tissue plasminogen activator/plasmin system and synthetic peptides that interfere with amyloid formation.
The Western Region Islet Study Group (WRISG) 2021 meeting was held at in Skamania Lodge in Washington, bringing together trainees and faculty studying islet biology to share their discoveries, enhance interactions, and encourage collaboration in diabetes across western Canada and the USA. Topics included β-cell development, β-cell function and dysfunction in diabetes, β-cell death and regeneration, and Islet cell therapy.