“I am thrilled to be a part of this endeavor and welcome the challenge.”
Igor Lacik, PhD, Polymer Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
July 20, 2010
Eleven area high school students have been selected to take part in an intensive summer internship, working in one of the world’s leading islet cell labs at the University of Illinois at Chicago to learn about the immune system, diabetes, transplantation and pancreatic islet cell isolation.
Eleven area high school students have been selected to take part in an intensive summer internship, working in one of the world’s leading islet cell labs at the University of Illinois at Chicago to learn about the immune system, diabetes, transplantation and pancreatic islet cell isolation.
The students, who excel in honors and advanced-placement science courses, are interested in careers in research or medicine.
Under the direction of Dr. José Oberholzer, chief of transplantation at UIC and head of the Chicago Diabetes Project, the students will attend lectures on lab ethics, manufacturing of islet therapies, and lab operations.
Oberholzer has assembled a team of research scientists and physicians from around the world who are working together to improve and refine islet cell transplantation, a promising treatment for controlling diabetes.
Diabetes occurs when islet cells in the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin or the body cannot manage insulin effectively. In type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
The goal of islet transplantation is to replace enough islet cells and protect them from rejection to allow type-1 diabetics to live without daily insulin injections.
During the three-week internship, the students will be paired with researchers who will serve as their mentors throughout the program. The students will be immersed in research and participate in a lab project to gain hands-on experience.
Students selected for the summer internship completed an application that was reviewed by UIC Chicago Diabetes Project researchers. The internship program is in its seventh year and is supported by private philanthropy.
2010 Chicago Diabetes Project Summer Interns:
Max Evers, Clarendon Hills
John Gewargis, Niles
Sarah Goomar, Northfield
Wara Imam, Oakbrook
Sarah Kempel, Glencoe
Selena Kowalski, Winnetka
Eliza Nieweglowski, Park Ridge
Vikram Reddy, Hinsdale
Samone Rush, Chicago
Tanmaya Sambare, Burr Ridge
Magdalena Soboeraj, Niles
For more information about the Chicago Diabetes Project, visit http://www.chicagodiabetesproject.org/or contact Patricia Wager at (312) 413-9763, u
CONTACT: Sherri McGinnis González, (312) 996-8277,
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