Penn Human Pancreas Procurement and Analysis Program Abstract Utilizing our existing infrastructure and scientific collaborations, we have assembled 6 cores with expertise ranging from pancreas procurement and islet isolation to data integration for a comprehensive and integrated Human Pancreas Procurement and Analysis Program based at the University of Pennsylvania. Core A will procure a spectrum of human pancreata and detailed donor medical history; perform high resolution HLA typing by next generation sequencing; isolate islets; and distribute islets and tissues to the other Cores for further analysis or processing. Core B will perform physiological phenotyping on the isolated islets. Core C will quantify and characterize memory T cell subsets by flow cytometry and single cell qPCR analysis; characterize suppressive activity of Tregs and the ability of related effector cells to be suppressed; B cell phenotyping; and generate chromatin accessibility maps of enhancers in pathogenic cell types. Core D will perform multiple advanced modalities for the molecular profiling of isolated islets including RNAseq and microRNAseq of sorted islet cell populations; mass cytometry for single cell quantification of more than 20 cell surface and intracellular markers; and single cell RNAseq. Core E will process tissues using multiple modalities that will allow for analysis using advanced technologies such as multiplexed immunoflourescent staining, combinatorial barcoded FISH (combFISH), whole slide imaging, and quantitative image analysis of protein markers and immune cell infiltrates. This Core will adapt 2-dimensional mass cytometry to pancreatic sections utilizing multiplexed ion beam imaging (MIBI) technology. This Core will also archive tissues as well as DNA and blood, and facilitate sample distribution to HPPAP approved researchers. Finally, Core F will assemble, annotate and maintain an open access database for the Program and its member-researchers, and collaborate with the HIRN in the sharing of data from both programs. The entire Program will be executed by an Administrative Core consisting of the PIs, with assistance from an Executive Committee consisting of the core leaders. The Administrative Core will interface with an external committee to review applications for HPPAP biosample use, and will collaborate with the HIRN. The Program will also interact with the HPPAP member/PANC DB user community to provide a richly annotated source of physiologic, genomic and immunologic data on the tissue-based landscape governing T1D.
Penn Human Pancreas Procurement and Analysis Program Narrative The past decades have seen a dramatic improvement in our ability to phenotype and molecularly profile human tissues relevant to the etiology of Type 1 diabetes with unprecedented resolution, at the genomic, epigenomic, protein, and functional levels. Here we will employ state-of-the-art technologies to determine all aspects of pancreas biology as it pertains to type 1 diabetes, juvenile organ donors, and other cases of beta- cell dysfunction. We will profile both the endocrine and immune systems with multiple modalities, and make the vast data accumulated available through the highly accessible PANC-DB to be developed here. This comprehensive profiling of the natural history of Type 1 diabetes will pave the way for future discoveries of new treatment modalities for diabetes.
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