Standardization of isolation methods for islets of Langerhans from dogs

Background

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a growing global health challenge affecting both humans and animals. Dogs typically develop a form of diabetes similar to type 1 diabetes in humans and require lifelong insulin injections. In humans, diabetes also includes type 2, which is often linked to insulin resistance and obesity. To improve the understanding of DM in dogs and identify potential links to the corresponding disease mechanisms in humans, reliable methods for the isolation and analysis of islets of Langerhans from the canine pancreas are required.

Goal

The aim of this project is to develop and standardize a method for isolation of islets of Langerhans from canine pancreatic tissue. The project intends to build a research platform that enables in-depth studies of hormone secretion and islet function in dogs, which may lead to a better understanding of diabetes in dogs.

Project description

Methods:

• Protocol development: Development and standardization of isolation methods to obtain viable islets of Langerhans from canine pancreas, adapting techniques used for isolation from humans and cats.
• Isolation and culture of islets of Langerhans: After isolation, primary cell cultures from dogs and humans are established for long-term experiments.
• Histological analysis: Immunofluorescence and histological staining are used to identify structural differences between islets of Langerhans from dogs and humans.

Expected results:

• A robust method for isolating viable islets of Langerhans from dogs, enabling further studies of insulin secretion and immune response.
• In-depth understanding of structural and functional differences in islets of Langerhans between dogs and humans, which may pave the way for improved treatments of diabetes in both dogs and humans.

Specifications

None for this project. Welcome with your application!