Autoimmune Life Blog

For more than 20 years, Steven Ziegler, PhD, has wondered if an altered version of a protein might play a key role in autoimmune diseases. Now, he finally has the tools to investigate further – and his work could lead to key insights about how and why lupus happens.

BRI’s Buckner Lab has been pioneering an innovative approach that turns cells that cause T1D into cells that protect you from T1D. Now, new research from Soo Jung Yang, PhD, and Ritika Tewari, PhD, shows this strategy may help treat other autoimmune diseases too.

Learn how lab-grown human beta cells are helping Eddie James, PhD, and other BRI researchers answer important questions in type 1 diabetes. 

Read exciting updates and learn what’s on the horizon for 2025 from BRI President Jane Buckner, MD.

Dr. Smithmyer is a staff scientist at Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) in the Center for Interventional Immunology. She has kindly agreed to speak with us about what the BRIDge Biorepository is and its importance to the work that scientists like her do in the realm of type 1 diabetes.

Read about BRI’s effort, led by Cate Speake, PhD, and Jane Buckner, MD, to better understand the role environmental factors play in 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."

The immune system keeps us healthy by maintaining a delicate balance. Every cell has a purpose: Some sound the alarm when they see an invader. Some attack germs that don’t belong. And some patrol the other cells in the immune system to make sure they’re doing their job.

This giving season, on behalf of our team, I extend a heartfelt thank you to all BRI donors and share some of the meaningful ways your philanthropy supports our work.

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.