Appointment
Professor, Surgery
Scientific Director, Schulze Diabetes Institute
Expert Areas
Diabetes, Islet transplantation
Research Focus
An expert on islet transplantation for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, Bernhard Hering has successfully reversed diabetes in monkeys using transplanted islet cells from pigs. He hopes to one day bring this treatment to humans. Currently, deceased organ donors are the only available sources of islet cells, which produce insulin that people with type 1 diabetes lack. This method is being used successfully in clinical trials at the University. Transplanted islet cells sense blood glucose levels naturally, so insulin injections are no longer needed in recipients of successful transplants.
