For immediate useNov. 3, 1997 -- No. 812

UNC-CH diabetes researcher gets top honor from U.S. government

By KAREN STINNEFORD
UNC-CH News Services

CHAPEL HILL -- Dr. Roland Tisch, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, has won a Presidential Early Career Award, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers beginning their independent research careers.

Tisch will receive his award Nov. 3 during a White House ceremony.

“I was shocked,” he said. “I knew I was in the running for it, but still, it was quite a surprise.”

The Presidential Early Career Awards recognize scientists and engineers who show exceptional leadership potential. The awards foster innovative developments, increase awareness of science careers, recognize the scientific missions of participating federal agencies, enhance connections between fundamental research and national goals and highlight the importance of science and technology for the nation's future.

The awards are given by the National Science and Technology Council, which was created to coordinate multi-agency science and technology policy-making. Participating U.S. agencies include the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of Health and the departments of veterans' affairs, energy, defense and commerce.

To be eligible, researchers must be independent of mentors, have less than five years of research experience since completing postdoctoral training, and never have been the principal investigator on any NIH-supported research project other than small grants.

Tisch's research deals with the role of a certain protein in insulin-dependent, or Type I, diabetes. Insulin-dependent diabetes is an autoimmune disease; the body becomes unable to make insulin, a pancreatic hormone that allows sugar to enter body cells and be converted to energy. Insulin also is needed to synthesize protein and store fats. In uncontrolled diabetes, sugar and fats remain in the bloodstream and, in time, damage the body's vital organs. The two different types of diabetes affect 16 million people in the United States and are the seventh-leading cause of death.

In his research, Tisch is looking at how a certain protein acts as an “on-off” switch in the body, triggering the immune system to turn “on” its inappropriate diabetic response.

“An essential property of the immune system is knowing the difference between antigens expressed in the body and antigens expressed by an invading organism,” he said. “In autoimmune diseases such as insulin-dependent diabetes, the development and activity of autoreactive cells proceed unimpeded. The focus of our laboratory is to investigate the mechanisms of these cells.”

Thwarting a body's diabetic response would have numerous benefits -- the disease might be prevented altogether in people at risk for the disease, and pancreatic transplants used to “cure” diabetic people may become more successful. Currently, a major reason why pancreatic transplants are rejected is that the autoimmune response is still functional in these patients, leading to the destruction of the transplant.

Tisch and his colleagues have successfully prevented diabetes in mice; however, testing in humans is still years away, he said.

“Right now, most of the work we've done is in animal models and while I'd like to think we're close to a clinical trial, we may be overly optimistic,” he said.

Now that he's passed his FBI background check, Tisch said he plans to enjoy the White House banquet honoring he and other recipients. Then, “it's back to the lab to struggle away,” he said.

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News Services print contact: Karen Stinneford

News Services broadcast contact: Karen Moon