UMass Diabetes Center of Excellence

04/29/2026

Sally Kent, PhD, presented two talks at last week's Immunology of Diabetes Society Congress & Australian Islet Study Group Meeting in Australia. Dr. Kent, an IDS Council Member, also served on the Scientific Organizing Committee and as a poster judge. Her presentations focused on immune cell detection in human type 1 diabetes and antigen presentation in cytokine-stressed human pancreatic islets, the latter based on a 2025 Cell Reports publication from the DCOE and Department of Pathology at UMass Chan Medical School.

04/21/2026

Louis Messina, MD, received a five-year, $3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to study how aging alters the immune system and slows wound healing. Chronic wounds are especially serious for older adults and individuals with , where impaired healing can lead to infection, hospitalization, and limb loss. Building on his earlier work showing that diabetes-driven oxidative stress can reprogram bone marrow stem cells and disrupt the immune response needed for repair, this new research will examine whether aging causes similar changes — and whether those changes can be reversed to restore more youthful healing. Learn more at the link below.

New research by Louis Messina, MD, aims to understand why aging slows down wound healing in older adults.

04/15/2026

Thank you to The Barton Center for Diabetes Education, Inc for providing 100 bags for the UMass Memorial pediatric diabetes care team to share resources with newly diagnosed patients. While the contents varies throughout the year, each newly diagnosed child receives a Welcome Booklet that aligns with our educational videos, plus information from Breakthrough T1D, Clara Barton Camp in Oxford for girls with T1D, and Joslin Camp in Charlton for boys with T1D.
at UMass Memorial Medical Center

04/15/2026

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has transformed , but its role in hospital settings, particularly intensive care units (ICUs), remains limited. A study published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics provides encouraging evidence that CGM is both accurate and practical for critically ill patients, a setting where CGM is not yet widely adopted.

Study co-authors included Samir Malkani, MD, Clinical Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at UMass Memorial Health & John Mordes, MD. The team evaluated the performance of the G7 CGM system in an ICU population. They found that CGM readings closely aligned with conventional glucose testing. Importantly, ICU nursing staff reported no concerns integrating CGM into routine workflows, reinforcing its practicality in a high-acuity setting. While results were encouraging, the study highlights important boundaries for CGM use in the ICU. Accuracy may be reduced in certain critically ill patients, particularly in those with severe illness, where changes in circulation can influence sensor performance. The authors also note that the small, non-randomized design calls for larger studies to validate these findings across broader and more diverse ICU populations.

Managing glucose in critically ill patients is labor-intensive, often requiring frequent fingersticks or blood draws. CGM offers a potential shift toward:
• Continuous, real-time glucose monitoring
• Reduced burden on patients and care teams
• Earlier detection of dangerous glucose trends

By demonstrating that CGM can perform reliably in this setting, the study points toward a future where advanced diabetes technology plays a larger role in inpatient care. The authors conclude that CGM use in the ICU is safe, practical, and clinically accurate in selected patients, supporting further research to define where it can be most effectively applied. As evidence continues to build, integrating CGM into hospital care settings could help close gaps in diabetes management for some of the highest-risk patients.

04/10/2026

Good luck to golfer & 2025 U.S. Open Championship Winner JJ Spaun this weekend at the Masters Tournament. 🏌️‍♀️

After being misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2018, Spaun struggled with unexplained weight loss, fatigue & declining performance. Finally, in 2021 he received the correct diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes after losing more than 50 pounds and temporarily losing his PGA Tour card.

Today he wears a CGM on the golf course and is a powerful reminder: with T1D, you can still compete—and win—at the highest level!

J.J. Spaun is taking on at starting today, and we’ll be cheering him on every step of the way. ⛳️ As a golfer living with type 1 diabetes, he is a powerful reminder that diabetes does not define what’s possible. Wishing J.J. a successful weekend. 💙

📸 credit: J.J. Spaun

Masters Tournament

04/09/2026

Two recent studies from UMass Chan Medical School reveal how stress signaling inside cells may shape outcomes & future treatments.

Researchers in the laboratories of Roger Davis, PhD, FRS, and Myoung Sook Han, PhD, uncovered new insights into how the body responds to metabolic stress, with implications for both diabetes therapies and disease progression.
Their work focuses on the JUN N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway—a key stress-response system originally defined by Dr. Davis—and shows how it plays critical roles in both pancreatic beta cells and the liver.

👉 In pancreatic beta cells, the team identified JNK3 as essential for how cells respond to incretin hormones like GLP-1, which are widely used in diabetes treatment. When JNK3 activity was reduced, beta cells produced less insulin and were less responsive to therapy—even though the GLP-1 receptor itself was still present. This suggests that internal stress signaling—not just the drug target—can determine how well a treatment works.

👉 In the liver, a separate study found that different versions of JNK (called splice variants) control how the body adapts to metabolic stress. One variant, JNK27b, was shown to promote fat buildup in the liver, disrupt metabolic timing (circadian rhythms), and interfere with pathways that normally support healthy metabolism.

Together, these findings point to a bigger idea:
➡️ How cells respond internally to stress may be just as important as the therapies we use to treat disease. By targeting specific parts of the JNK pathway—like JNK3 in beta cells or JNK27b in the liver—future treatments could become more precise, more effective, and better tailored to individual patients.

This research opens the door to new strategies aimed at improving by focusing not just on the disease itself, but on how the body responds to it.

04/03/2026

Summer Camp Internship Opportunity at The Barton Center for Diabetes Education, Inc (Jul 5–Aug 10) offering hands-on experience in glucose monitoring, insulin management, CGMs/pumps & education while mentoring children with . Housing, meals & academic credit provided. Apply and/or share. Other openings also still available! info@bartoncenter.org

https://www.bartoncenter.org/the-barton-center-overview/hiring

03/23/2026

People with are 2–3 times more likely to experience . Fatigue, stress & daily management challenges can make it more difficult to stay on track.

The good news: recognizing the signs and getting support—whether through your care team, therapy, or healthy lifestyle changes—can improve mental health and .

💡 If you’ve been feeling off, you’re not alone and help is available!

🔗 UMass Memorial Health Blog

Take charge of diabetes and depression. Learn signs and practical ways to get support so you can manage daily life with confidence.

03/06/2026

A newly published study has identified specific fragments of the insulin protein that are recognized by immune cells involved in the autoimmune attack that causes type 1 diabetes. The research, published in The Journal of Immunology, provides new insight into how the immune system identifies insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.

Understanding exactly which pieces of insulin are recognized by immune cells may help researchers better understand how the disease begins and how the immune attack might one day be stopped.

A major driver of the autoimmune destruction of beta cells is a group of immune cells called CD8⁺ T cells, often referred to as “killer” T cells. These cells recognize small protein fragments displayed on the surface of cells by molecules known as Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA). Most previous research in type 1 diabetes has focused on HLA-A and HLA-B. This study, led by Teresa DiLorenzo, PhD, at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, examined the role of another member of this family, HLA-C, specifically the variant HLA-C*03:04, which is relatively common in people with type 1 diabetes, but little is known about its contribution to the attack on insulin-producing beta cells.

To investigate this, a mouse model was engineered to express the human HLA-C*03:04 molecule and screened fragments of the insulin protein to determine which ones were recognized by immune cells infiltrating the pancreatic islets. The team identified two short fragments from the A-chain of insulin that were recognized by T cells in the mice. When the laboratory of Sally Kent, PhD, at UMass Chan Medical School, examined immune cells isolated from the pancreatic islets of people with type 1 diabetes, they found that those human T cells also responded to the same insulin fragments.

The findings suggest that HLA-C–restricted T cells may play a role in the autoimmune process that leads to . By identifying specific insulin fragments involved in the immune response, the study could help researchers better understand how beta cells become targets of immune attack.

Pictured, Anthony Manganaro, Research Tech, Kent lab UMass Chan Medical School

03/03/2026

This video highlights the research of Diabetes Center of Excellence Co-Director Michael Brehm, PhD, and his personal connection to the mission.

Learn how his team investigates human cells & tissues to better understand the immune system and its role in .

UMass Chan Medical School

02/27/2026

In a year when federal research funding is under increasing pressure, four scientists conducting diabetes research at UMass Chan Medical School are named among the top 100 faculty nationwide for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in Anatomy/Cell Biology departments, according to the latest rankings released by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

Especially in today’s climate, NIH support is among the most competitive and prestigious biomedical research funding in the United States. NIH grants are awarded through rigorous peer review and serve as a national benchmark for scientific excellence. These federal dollars play a critical role in training the next generation of scientists, advancing translational discoveries, promoting collaboration, and attracting additional philanthropic investment — accelerating breakthroughs in diabetes and related metabolic diseases.

Among the top-ranked U.S. investigators:

Michael Brehm, PhD, co-director of the UMass Chan Diabetes Center of Excellence, who leads research focused on human immune responses using novel models of to study how immune cells interact with human tissues, improving understanding of autoimmune pathways and potential therapeutic strategies.

Jessica Spinelli, PhD, is investigating how cells adapt energy production under stress, such as low oxygen, and how these pathways may be leveraged to protect insulin-producing beta cells after transplantation or in other therapeutic settings.

Silvia Corvera, MD, is studying adipose (fat) tissue biology and its role in . Her research has revealed how specific proteins and cell types within fat influence energy balance, insulin sensitivity, and the potential for cell-based therapies for and .

Jason Kim, PhD, conducts research focusing on small molecules and metabolic pathways that can improve glucose metabolism and counteract obesity-driven diabetes, uncovering mechanisms that may inform new therapeutic approaches.

Being ranked among the top NIH-funded faculty nationally reflects the scientific community’s confidence in these investigators and the strength of diabetes research at UMass Chan. Sustained NIH support enables cutting-edge discovery that advances new insights, therapies, and hope for individuals living with diabetes.

02/27/2026