Dr. Bruce Verchere
Diabetes, a disease that interferes with the body’s ability to produce or properly use insulin and that over time can lead to life-threatening and debilitating complications, affects more than 2 million Canadians.  Dr. Bruce Verchere, head of the CFRI’s Diabetes Research Program, specializes in beta cell physiology and is researching their function in types 1 and type 2 diabetes. 

Beta cells are the insulin-producing islet cells of the pancreas. When these cells become depleted, stop functioning as they should, or are destroyed, diabetes is the result. With type 1 diabetes, the form that usually develops in childhood or adolescence, the body produces little or no insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs when insulin continues to be produced but, for a variety of reasons, is not properly used in the body. Over time, beta cells are lost as the diseases worsens. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs later in life, but in recent years there are an increasing number of cases of type 2 diabetes in young people.

Islet amyloid is one major culprit in type 2 diabetes that Dr. Verchere is studying. This amyloid is made from a normal beta cell hormone called islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP). What is not yet clear is how the amyloid forms. By understanding how IAPP builds up in the pancreatic islets and destroys beta cells, Dr. Verchere hopes to find ways to inhibit its devastating effects and develop methods of enhancing the survival of islets.

Type 1 diabetes is especially baffling and difficult to treat, because as an autoimmune disease, it’s not influenced as much by diet and activity levels.  In type 1 diabetes, beta cell death is caused the body’s own immune system, which destroys beta cells. Working in collaboration with immunologists and cell biologists, Dr. Verchere is looking at possible ways to block this response to treat, and ultimately prevent, type 1 diabetes.

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Last updated: 03/11/2010