Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Type 1 Diabetes and Biomedical Engineering

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The incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) remains on the rise in the U.S. and around the world. Fortunately, individuals with the disease are now living longer, largely due to dramatic improvements in technology-based disease management strategies such as continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and algorithms allowing for their integration into what is now known as an “artificial pancreas.” However, the vast majority of T1D patients still experience difficulty in achieving clinical glycemic targets and as result, develop organ, nerve and vascular damage over time. Additionally, to many, the cost of T1D management presents a substantial financial burden, and the prevalence of clinical depression and anxiety disorders is disproportionately high in persons living with a T1D diagnosis. As such, there is a continuing, if not urgent need for innovative therapeutics and technologies to further advance not only T1D care but in addition, progress towards a means to prevent or reverse the disease. This, in turn, forms the need to train a generation of scientists who simultaneously have in-depth knowledge of T1D etiopathogenesis (including expertise in systems immunology, human pancreatic and islet cell biology), and also can contribute to the materials, tissue, and cellular engineering of such interventions. The overall objective of our Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in T1D and Biomedical Engineering is to provide an integrated and highly collaborative training experience; this, to develop pre-doctoral students into graduates having skillsets and knowledge vital for careers that bridge these two important disciplines. Pre-doctoral candidates select co- mentors (one T1D and one Biomedical Engineering) from a diverse faculty with research interests spanning: 1) Immunology/Genetics (autoimmunity, eQTL and genotype/phenotype analysis, innate immunity, gene editing, T cell engineering); 2) Stem Cell Biology/Therapeutics (cell therapy, iPSC generation, cell scaffolds); 3) Disease Modeling (live pancreas slice culture, islet-immune chip, animal models); 4) Biostatistics/Bioinformatics; and 5) Clinical/Translational Research (clinical trials, therapeutic development, behavioral research, clinical psychology). This training infrastructure is further enhanced by the university’s NIH supported CTSI as well as Institutes and Centers directed by faculty members affiliated with this training program. The training program is largely preceptorial, with more than 75% of the trainee’s time devoted to independent research activities and the remainder spent in formal courses and conferences. Training is focused on disease-oriented research with a curriculum tailored to each trainee’s individual needs. To date, a concerted effort has also been extended to rigorous program evaluation, fostering trainee career development, and recruitment of underrepresented minority (URM), disability, and female candidates. Trainees emanating from this program have been highly successful in terms of research publications, acquisition of independent funding through F31 awards, and subsequent career development. We believe this program will continue to produce graduates who are uniquely poised to address a vital societal need to improve the lives of those with and at risk for T1D.