Dr Claire Jessup – Diabetes and Transplant Research
Research Fellow, Renal Department, Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Claire investigates how transplanting clusters of special cells into the pancreas of people whose bodies cannot control their blood sugar levels could provide a long term treatment for diabetes. These clusters of special cells are called islets, are found only in the pancreas and are the only cells in the body which can produce insulin – the substance that allows the body to control the level of sugar in the blood. Claire is working toward successful transplantation of these islets into diabetic patients by ensuring they develop the tiny bloody vessels they need to survive and carry out their role in their new environment.
2011