Promising method for diabetes cure identified
Scientists at the Miller School Diabetes Research Institute, in conjunction with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, published findings that it is now possible to view how transplanted insulin-secreting cells called islets function when they are inside a living organism.
These findings were presented online in Nature Medicine and are considered the most promising method for curing type one diabetes.
Pinning of the new class at Miller School
The Miller School Pinning Ceremony welcomed the class of 2011 this past week. All 179 medical freshmen were welcomed at the eighth annual ceremony, which was renamed the John G. Clarkson Ceremony in 2006 after the former dean.
Dean inducted to medical hall of fame
John G. Clarkson, dean emeritus of the Miller School, was inducted into the medical school’s Medical Alumni Hall of Fame this past Medical Alumni Weekend.
Protective factor against neurodegenerative conditions discovered at med school
Grace Zhai, an assistant professor of molecular and cellular pharmacology at the Miller School of Medicine, and Hugo Bellen, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the Baylor College of Medicine, have revealed a protective factor against neurodegenerative conditions like spinocerebellar ataxia.
This breakthrough established the neuroprotective qualities of the protein NMNAT. This is the first time that an additional neuronal function of this protein has been identified.