Leading type 1 diabetes investigators from around the world joined nPOD project partners, along with representatives from
JDRF and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for nPOD’s 2nd Annual Conference and Scientific Update on October 19-20, 2008 in Washington, DC. Susan Bonner-Weir,Ph.D., Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard University, delivered the keynote address entitled, “Of mice and man: what we know, what we need to learn.” During her talk, Bonner-Weir compared and contrasted mouse vs. human diabetes pathogenesis, emphasizing the differences in beta cell biology. These differences, Bonner-Weir noted, underscore the importance of nPOD tissues for scientists who study human beta cells, particularly given the opportunity to employ newly available technologies in order to gain an understanding of the pathophysiology of human type 1 diabetes. Project reports by other investigators, including Dale Greiner, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, and Roberto Gianani, M.D., University of Colorado, drew into question long standing dogmas about disease etiology and progression. For more information about the annual conference, please contact nPOD.