The Leslie & Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Diabetes & Genetic Research Center houses City of Hope's comprehensive diabetes research and treatment services. We are committed to providing the highest quality diabetes clinical care programs and advanced training for physicians and scientists specializing in diabetes care and research.
Our diabetes program offers a multidisciplinary approach to advance research initiatives and patient care in several key areas:
Islet Cell Transplantation
Through the generous support of the Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Foundation, City of Hope has established a world-class islet cell transplantation program. Islet cell transplantation has revolutionized the treatment of type 1 diabetes by transplanting the cells responsible for insulin production into diabetic patients. Today, City of Hope is the largest islet cell isolation, distribution and transplantation center in the western U.S. Our National Institutes of Health-funded Southern California Islet Cell Resource Center is one of only seven islet cell resource centers in the nation.
Researchers in this program have made major advances in both isolation and preparation of islets for transplantation, as well as techniques to reduce post-transplant rejection of the islet cells.
Objectives of the Islet Cell Transplantation Program include:
- Leading the regional effort in islet cell clinical transplantation to advance this form of cell therapy for patients with type 1 diabetes
- Expanding islet/stem cell biology research to achieve successful laboratory islet engineering and ultimately the availability of islets to all those who may need islet transplantation therapy
- Enhancing the effort in islet immunology to develop successful strategies for the protection of islets after transplantation from destruction by the patient’s immune system
As diabetes is a multifactorial disease, understanding its genetic basis and molecular underpinnings is the subject of much ongoing research. Drug discovery and drug design are focused on inhibiting undesirable reaction processes such as glycation. Some of our research involves:
- Discovering new genes, molecular signaling and cellular mechanisms that are involved in the development of diabetes and its complications
- Continuing research efforts in inhibition of glycation and advanced glycation endproducts, thereby blocking or reversing long-term complications of diabetes
Diabetes brings a host of related complications, including nephropathy, neuropathy and cardiovascular disease. Understanding how to prevent and treat them is a vital part of managing diabetes patients. Some of our research in this area includes:
- Advancing research efforts in cellular mechanisms of atherosclerosis and nephropathy
- Clinical research in male sexual dysfunction in patients with cancer and diabetes