Autoimmune Life Blog

Naive T cells are like the rookies of your immune system. They’re young and inexperienced. They grow up to do different jobs, most of which help protect your body from viruses and bacteria. But a few stray down the wrong path — growing up to become cells that cause autoimmune disease.

"I know we will reach that golden age, and BRI’s research in human immunology is the vehi¬cle that will take us there. This field has shepherded incredible advances in recent years, including new vaccines, new cancer treatments, and new and better treatment options for autoimmune disease."

Participating in a clinical trial for type 1 diabetes (T1D) was easy for 9-year-old Mikaela. “Everyone was really nice. I just had to drink a milkshake with some medicine in it and get an IV.

Before medicines become widely available, they have to be rigorously tested — first in the lab, then in people through clinical trials.

BRI researchers are working to develop a groundbreaking new approach to treat type 1 diabetes (T1D). They aim to turn T cells that cause T1D into regulatory T cells (Tregs) that protect you from T1D.

It only took one statistic to get Meg Mandelson, PhD, interested in studying pancreas cancer. “Five-year survival rates have greatly improved for almost every cancer over the past two decades,” she says. “Pancreas cancer is one of the few that hasn’t.” 

The FDA recently approved teplizumab, a groundbreaking therapy that signals a paradigm shift in treating not only T1D but all autoimmune diseases.

A new study, led by a BRI researcher and published in Science Translational Medicine, put engineered t-regulatory cells to the test. In lab tests, the research team found that the engineered cells controlled the cells that attack the pancreas in T1D patients.

Scientists at the Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) and TrialNet, a global type 1 diabetes (T1D) research consortium, have spent decades working to answer a bold question: Can we stop T1D before it starts?

When Nina and Georg Pedersen were writing charitable gifts into their will, they had two goals: finding meaningful ways to honor their family and recognizing the expert care they’ve received at Virginia Mason.