LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A world-renowned diabetes researcher joined Norton Healthcare.
Balamurugan N. Appakalai, Ph.D., also known as Dr. Bala, is joining Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute, a part of Norton Healthcare and Norton Children's, with the goal of curing Type 1 diabetes, according to a news release Monday. Norton Healthcare and Norton Children's plans to build a specialized laboratory to help Appakalai and his team for research work.
Appakalai leads research around islet cell transplants. He is considered one of the most skilled islet isolation specialists in the world, according to a news release. His team and research is moving from Nationwide Children's in Ohio to Louisville.
"This work will impact patients locally, nationally and around the world," Appakalai said in a news release. "I believe we have a real opportunity to find an eventual cure for Type 1 diabetes. My team and I look forward to what we will accomplish in the years to come."
According to a news release, islets are clusters of cells in the pancreas that help make insulin. The immune system attacks islet cells, making the body unable to produce insulin in Type 1 diabetes.
The Wendy Novak Diabetes treats more than 9,000 people with Type 1 diabetes, including 2,000 children.
Related Stories:
- 5 months from seeing historic new hospital in west Louisville, residents eager for neighborhood care
- UofL Dental Clinic opens in west Louisville's Goodwill Opportunity Center
- $50 million West Louisville Opportunity Center officially opens in Parkland neighborhood
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
