At a Glance
The Spence Group applies analytical tools to solve problems in diabetes, sickle cell anemia, transfusion medicine, and platelet physiology. We also develop new technologies using 3D printing to facilitate our studies and help answer important biomedical questions.
One major focus is investigating and defining new roles for red blood cells in such autoimmune diseases as Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Key to the studies is C-peptide, the 31–amino acid peptide that is co-secreted with insulin from the pancreatic β-cells. When formulated correctly, preliminary evidence suggests that this peptide may be the missing link in complications associated with both diseases listed above.
