Pre-clinical models -
Basic research on mouse models for type 1 diabetes
Basic research is essential for the understanding of reasons leading to diseases as well as for the development of therapies. Since many years the research group of Prof. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler is conducting studies in mouse models. The most famous model for autoimmune diabetes is the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model. NOD mice spontaneously develop islet autoantibodies and diabetes and the disease development is similar to human type 1 diabetes. Especially the influence of nutritional factors was investigated and food components with influence on the diabetes development in human and the mouse model were identified. Results of those studies are already translated to therapy studies for diabetes prevention in children.
Further, this model is suited to study the development of autoantibodies and their effect on the destruction of the insulin producing beta cells. With this regard, studies analysing autoantibodies and genetic factors transferred during pregnancy from dams to their offspring are particularly important.
Further experiments are focused on immune cells that are involved into the initial development of autoimmune diabetes. For those studies, a mouse model with inducible diabetes development is used (RIP-CD80 mouse model). Ongoing experiments focus on proteins that are expressed on the insulin producing beta cells (called autoantigens) that are targeted by immune cells during the diabetes development. The results of this investigation will help to understand the initial immune reactions leading to autoimmune diabetes.
For further information please contact
Contact person: Dr. Kerstin Adler
Phone: +49-(0)89 / 3187 - 3906
Email: Kerstin.Adler@helmholtz-muenchen.de