Bart Roep, Professor - the Netherlands

Under the wings of the Danish Diabetes Academy, Professor Bart Roep from the Leiden University Medical Center and Professor Karsten Buschard, Director of the Bartholin Institute at the University of Copenhagen will harness a longstanding interaction between their groups to join forces translating the concept originally conceived by Dr. Buschard that beta-cell rest alleviates their susceptibility to immune mediated destruction. The Copenhagen team has pioneered seminal studies unravelling the immune pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes, including the role of virus, T-cells, sulphatides and dietary components.

The Leiden team in turn focused on the role of T-cells in human beta-cell destruction, and translating this knowledge into pioneering studies and immune intervention strategies, including gene therapy, stem cell therapy and inverse vaccination using tolerogenic dendritic cells as adjuvant of proinsulin peptides to desensitize the immune system. Both teams share the concept that the beta-cell plays a central role in its own demise or resilience to immune attack.

Collectively they will test the hypothesis that beta-cell stress in response to inflammation, hyperglycemia or environmental factors (notably gluten) increases their immunogenicity, as defined by expression of neoantigens resulting from posttranslational modifications and sulphatide. Collectively, these joined studies will help securing the legacy of Dr. Buschard’s contributions to the understanding of the immunopathology of type 1 diabetes. The results derived from the proposed studies should pave the way for a substantial grant joining the Bartholin and LUMC that provides the basis for exchange of fellows, expertise, material, and the continued commitment of the Bartholin Institute to type 1 diabetes research.