René van Tienhoven has been awarded the prestigious NWO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek) Veni grant for his research into why type 1 diabetes is not a single, uniform disease.
Although type 1 diabetes is generally considered one disease, significant differences exist between patients. Why does the disease progress rapidly in some individuals, while others continue to produce their own insulin for years? In his study, Van Tienhoven will investigate whether natural variations in the insulin gene can explain these differences and what implications these variations have for the immune response that destroys insulin-producing beta cells. This knowledge could ultimately enable clinicians to provide the right therapy to the right patient and improve the outcomes of islet transplantation.