Catherine Hajmrle

Catherine received a BSc. (Honors) in Pharmacology from the University of Alberta in May 2009.  She became very interested in diabetes research during my undergraduate degree, and in September 2009, began graduate studies under the supervision of Dr. Patrick MacDonald. Dr. MacDonald’s research focuses on islet biology, which is how the insulin secreting cells the body, known as β-cells, sense sugar and other signals, and how they translate these signals into insulin release.

Summary of currently funded project

In recent years, transplantation of the tissues that contain insulin-secreting cells, known as islet transplantation, has emerged as a long-term treatment for type 1 diabetes. Islet transplantation allows recipients to become independent of insulin injections, and more importantly, islet transplantation has been shown to improve blood glucose levels when compared to conventional therapies. Despite these advances, less than 10% of islet transplant recipients remain insulin independent after 5 years, indicating a failure of the transplant. For her project, she is examining factors that may contribute to the failure of these transplants.

In particular, she is examining the effects of high blood sugars and fats on islet transplantation, as they have been shown to induce islet death and reduce insulin secretion. These factors can increase inflammation, and may be able to induce failure of the transplant. Her plan to determine whether high levels of sugars and fats in the blood, a condition known as metabolic stress, are required for, or complicit in, the long-term loss of islet transplants. In particular, she will be examining which parts of the islets are affected by metabolic stress, and identify targets for drugs that could potentially be used before, after, or during transplantation to delay, or possibly prevent, future islet transplant failure.