Joslin Diabetes Center is excited to be a part of the new Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Center of Excellence in New England. This new center will be a cross-collaboration among Joslin, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, the UMass Diabetes Center of Excellence at UMass Medical School and The Jackson Laboratory.

Research experts from each institution, including Drs. Stephan Kissler, Jason Gaglia and Peng Yi from Joslin Diabetes Center, will focus on examining how insulin-producing beta cells generated from stem cells may be able to bring us closer to a cure for type 1 diabetes.

“We are extremely excited that the JDRF has decided to support a Center of Excellence in New England. The Center will solidify our ongoing collaboration with the Melton lab at Harvard and will help forge strong new ties with outstanding type 1 diabetes researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, whose expertise perfectly complements our own. As a group, and with JDRF's support, we will try to tackle some of the most difficult challenges in working towards a cure for type 1 diabetes,” said Stephan Kissler, PhD, Joslin Investigator and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The strength of this new research effort lies in diverse talent according to Joslin’s Jason Gaglia, MD, MMSc, Assistant Investigator and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Each of these groups brings unique expertise and cutting-edge techniques. We look forward to working together and thank JDRF for their support,” said Gaglia. Dr. Peng Yi, Assistant Investigator at Joslin and Affiliated Faculty at Harvard Stem Cell Institute agreed. “The New England JDRF Center of Excellence provides us a unique opportunity to collaborate with the most talented scientists in the area. I am so excited and honored to be a part of the Center.”

The work of the new JDRF Center for Excellence in New England joins two other JDRF Centers of Excellence in California and Michigan, all of which have the single, common focus of finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.