Research Updates: Dr. Greg Korbutt & Dr. Andrew Pepper

Welcome to Research Updates: News from the World of Diabetes Research. Today we are catching up with Dr. Andrew Pepper and Dr. Greg Korbutt!

Dr. Pepper is an assistant professor in the department of surgery at the University of Alberta. He has a Ph.D. in pathology from Western University, specializing in organ procurement and islet transplantation. In 2012, he joined Dr. James Shapiro's lab with the Alberta Diabetes Institute as a post-doctoral fellow. [1]

Dr. Korbutt was an original member of the Edmonton Protocol team back in 2000. He is currently a professor in the department of surgery at the University of Alberta. He is also the scientific director of the Alberta Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility and director of the Alberta Diabetes Institute's Histology Core Lab. [2]

The Research:

As a pioneer of the Edmonton Protocol, the leading treatment for diabetes, Dr. Korbutt is ready to improve upon the past by collaborating with Dr. Pepper, a specialist in transplantation.

The Edmonton Protocol works by transplanting insulin-producing islet cells from a donated pancreas into a diabetic patient. The patient then becomes able to make insulin on their own. Currently, very few people are accepted as candidates for islet transplantation: the limited supply of donor islet cells and the requirement for anti-rejection medication present significant problems. The few who become islet recipients, while the symptoms of diabetes may be gone, are left with a host of side effects from the anti-rejection drugs.

Dr. Pepper and Dr. Korbutt are currently running multiple studies to help overcome the common downsides of islet transplantation. These studies will serve as a basis for finding a multi-drug approach to prevent autoimmune response post-transplantation and to find alternative transplantation sites, such as the liver, to increase the efficacy and efficiency of this process.

The main outcome for the team is developing a reliable source of islets and a safer way to transplant them. Their project will have a two-fold outcome:

• The development of new anti-rejection medication that's more targeted and less invasive.
• The use of Neonatal Porcine (pig) islets for transplantation to provide a limitless and safe supply of insulin-producing cells.

The success of this project would mean no more needles, no more insulin pumps, and a life-altering improvement for people with diabetes.

[1] "Dr. Andrew Pepper: Profile," University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, https://www.ualberta.ca/medicine/about/people/details.html?n=andrew-pepper

[2] Shelby Soke, "Greg Korbutt: Edmonton Protocol Innovator. Leading Scientist. Stem cell Therapy Pioneer," University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, https://www.ualberta.ca/medicine/momentum/2017/momentum-stories-2017/2017/october/greg-korbutt.html, Oct. 2017