UF researcher awarded grant to study adult stem cells’ potential to treat diabetes

Becton Dickinson Technologies has awarded a University of Florida College of Medicine researcher a grant to investigate the capability of adult bone marrow stem cells to produce functioning pancreatic cells that may one day be used to treat diabetes.

The North Carolina-based drug company awarded Bryon Petersen, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine, $250,000 to investigate the potential of these therapeutic cells in diabetic mice over the next two years. Petersen is part of a multidisciplinary stem cell team based in the department of pathology, the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of UF, and the UF Shands Cancer Center.

Petersen is trying to determine whether adult bone marrow stem cells are capable of becoming pancreatic islet cells that can produce insulin. If so, such cells may one day play a part in treating or even curing type 1 diabetes.

The research is an extension of studies Petersen is conducting in rats under a National Institutes of Health grant awarded last year. By studying the role adult bone marrow stem cells play in different animal species, scientists may acquire broader insight into their function and potential use in people.