Jon Odorico
Credentials: Surgery Department
Position title: Pluripotent stem cell islets
Email: jon@surgery.wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 263-0388
Address:
Box 7375 Clinical Science Center
600 Highland Ave
Madison, WI 53792
LAB WEBSITE:
FOCUS GROUPS:
Developmental Biology & Regenerative Medicine; Cellular & Molecular Metabolism; Immunology
RESEARCH DESCRIPTION:
The objective of our research is to use human pluripotent stem cells to generate insulin-producing islets as model system to understand human islet development and function as well as provide a source of replenishable cells that can be used for transplantation. While insulin can be life saving for patients with diabetes, it does not fully correct the disease and chronically high blood sugars can lead to progressive organ failure as well as acute mortality due to excessive low or high blood glucose levels. We believe based on the successes of pancreas and islet transplantation which can restore normal blood glucose levels and reverse diabetes, that a cellular transplant therapy is a better approach. Unfortunately, pancreas and islet transplantation suffer from two major drawbacks, the shortage of donor tissue and the requirement for
long-term immunosuppresssion. Human pluripotent stem cell-derived islets can potentially overcome these challenges; in fact, recently studies in humans show that transplantation of stem cell-islets into the liver can eliminate the need for insulin. Our lab is working on finding improved differentiation protocols to enhance and refine the function and phenotype of the derived islet endocrine cell populations. We are studying the immunogenicity of these stem cell-islets and genetically modifying them to create hypoimmunogenic or immune-evasive islets. We are also evaluating human pancreatic hydrogel and other ECM signals for their potential to improve the function and survival of cadaver islets and stem cell-islets after transplantation into alternative, retreivable, less-invasive transplant sites. Finally, we hope to improve the stem cell-islet post-transplant vascularization by providing stem cell-endothelial cell vascular networks as part of an i2slet organoid.
ALSO A TRAINER IN THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:
Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology (ERP), Endocrinology (iPEND)