PhD

Anne Mari Rokstad's research within the CDP is focused on developing our understandings of the alginate capsules and their interaction with the human immune system. This is important in the development and selection of the most functional capsules. Our final capsule choice needs to be accepted by the immune system upon transplantation by providing the best conditions for the encapsulated islets. 

For Anne Mari, it is motivating to be a part of the CDP with the common goal of improving quality of life for diabetic patients. The team’s spirit of collaboration has been continually encouraging. 

Anne Mari started working within the CDP in 2008, establishing a human whole blood model for understanding and developing the encapsulation materials. Within the CDP platform, the model has extended to primates and now continues with diabetic patients.

Anne Mari has a research position at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway (http://innsida.ntnu.no/user/annemaro/ansatt/min-profil). She is connected to Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research (SFF-CEMIR), a Norwegian Centre of Excellence (http://www.ntnu.edu/cemir). Connected to the center, she does research on the immune system and inflammation in cardiovascular disease and obesity. She would say it is all connected, by mechanisms. The promising material developments, and understanding their toleration by the immune system to avoid fibrosis as is focused within CDP, could also provide important knowledge for modulation of fibrosis of relevance in diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity.