A new easy-to-use Kansas Method to quantify islet volume with greater accuracy developed by researchers at KU Medical Center.
Download it here
Islet of Promise:
Work by Dr. Stehno-Bittel was featured in the research publication From the Bench and Beyond.
Current ProjectsPancreatic Islet Transplantation:
An islet cell transplant provides new insulin-producing cells from a donor pancreas for individuals with severe type 1 diabetes. While islet transplants are successful in preventing severe insulin deficiency and helping individuals maintain control of their blood sugar, success rates in long-term studies are still low. In order to improve the transplantation success rate in diabetic patients, the Diabetes Research Laboratory is focusing its efforts on research that may ultimately improve the yield, viability and insulin production of transplanted islets.
Artificial Pancreatic Islet Creation:
We are working on creating semi-artificial islets, where a polymer is used to house insulin-producing islets. A variety of artificial polymer structures are evaluated in order to create the most viable conditions for islets to grow and produce the insulin needed for diabetic patients to survive. The unfortunate complications of diabetes, many of which are deadly, often develop during the later stages of the disease. If successful, the results of this project would revolutionize the way diabetic patients are treated and eliminate the need for daily insulin injections.
A New Model for Volume Quantification of Isolated Pancreatic Islets:
An accurate and consistent method to measure the amount of tissue being used in experiments is of crucial relevance for research using pancreatic islets, spherical-like clusters of endocrine cells. Our research group developed and tested a new easy-to-use Kansas Method to quantify islet volume with greater accuracy. In order to improve islet volume calculations, we are freely distributing this new Kansas Method for clinicians and researchers. More details
The Lab Team |
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Principal Investigator |
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Lisa Stehno-Bittel, PT, PhD Professor Department Chairperson KU Dept. of Physical Therapy & Rehab. Science University of Kansas Medical Center |
PhD Student |
Floyd (Han-Hung) Huang, PT |
Lab Manager |
S. Janette Williams, MS |
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The University of Kansas