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Dr. Barker's
current research interests are pursued in collaboration
with Dr. Naji. They are in
general concerned with transplantation biology and particularly
with methods of accomplishing transplantation tolerance
through manipulation of the thymus and other aspects
of the immune system. A specific focus for a number
of years has been the immunopathogenesis of diabetes
and the successful transplantation of isolated Islets
of Langerhans in animals with experimental diabetes.
Models of current interest to us include syndromes of
spontaneous hyperglycemia, which occur in rats and mice
and are quite similar to human type I diabetes. Also
under study are the transplantation of islets in large
animals including primates. An important clinical research
project being pursued is the isolation of pancreatic
islets from cadaveric human donors and their transplantation
to type I diabetic patients. Eighteen patients have
been treated. Most have been able to discontinue
insulin therapy but because within 2-3 years hyperglycemia
has usually recurred, this therapy remains in evolution.
Research
Publications |
