HIRN’s mission is to better understand how human beta cells are lost in Type 1 Diabetes and to find innovative strategies to protect or replace functional beta cell mass in diabetic patients. Starting in 2014 NIDDK will establish a new team science program, the Human Islet Research Network (HIRN), to help organize and support collaborative translational research related to the loss of functional b
eta cell mass in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). HIRN will be jointly supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the type 1 diabetes special funding program, and its overall mission will be to better understand how human beta cells are lost in T1D, and to find innovative strategies to protect or replace functional beta cell mass in diabetic patients. This program will be configured as a modular network of small research consortia, each defined by a specific set of research priorities. The network structure will help to facilitate interactions between small communities of investigators organized around common biological and/or technological challenges, with the overall goal of developing innovative strategies for the treatment, prevention and monitoring of T1D. HIRN consists of four independent research initiatives, each supporting investigator-initiated projects in the following areas: Targeting and Regeneration (CTAR), Human Islet Biomimetics (CHIB), Modeling Autoimmune Interactions (CMAI) and Beta Cell Death and Survival (CBDS). Additionally, two complementary initiatives providing the administrative structure needed to support the HIRN activities through the creation of an Administrative Hub (HIRN-AH) composed of a Coordinating Center (HIRN-CC) and a Bioinformatics Center (HIRN –BC). All HIRN research initiatives put a strong emphasis on human disease biology, the use of human cells and tissues, and the development of reagents, tools and disease-modeling platforms that can help further our understanding of the human disease process, or lead to innovative treatment strategies for patients with severely depleted beta cell mass. Beyond the set of six founding FOAs issued in 2014, it is anticipated that additional HIRN initiatives may be issued in future years, contingent on availability of funds, to support the evolution of the program over time, and in response to emerging scientific and technological advances.
