Submission Date

7-23-2025

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Health & Exercise Physiology

Faculty Mentor

Stephen Kolwicz

Student Contributor

Renee Washart

Comments

Presented during the 27th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 18, 2025 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune condition in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. This leads to chronic hyperglycemia and requires lifelong insulin therapy to regulate blood glucose levels. While current treatments such as insulin injections can help manage the disease, they come with significant drawbacks. These include the inability of insulin therapy to fully replicate the dynamic glucose regulation provided by natural beta cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising alternative due to their immunomodulatory properties, ease of isolation, and potential to differentiate into various cell types, including pancreatic beta cells. This study aims to develop a protocol for growing stem cells harvested from C57BL/6 mice and to verify viability using an LDH cytotoxic assay.

Download

Restricted

Available to Ursinus community only.

Share

COinS