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Mount Saint Mary’s University and Loyola Marymount University have jointly secured a U.S. patent for a synthetic peptide designed to protect insulin-producing pancreatic cells from damage associated with Type 2 diabetes.

The discovery is the result of a 16-year collaboration between Luiza Nogaj, PhD, professor of biology at Mount Saint Mary’s, and David Moffet, PhD, associate dean and professor of chemistry and biochemistry at LMU Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering. Supported by four National Institutes of Health grants totaling nearly $1.2 million, the research has involved roughly 200 undergraduate student researchers across both campuses — with many listed as co-authors on peer-reviewed publications.

A Potential New Approach to Treat Type 2 Diabetes

Most treatments for Type 2 diabetes focus on managing blood sugar or replacing insulin. This research targets another, lesser-known part of the disease: the gradual loss of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.

A protein called islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), which is normally released alongside insulin, can begin to fold incorrectly and clump together as Type 2 diabetes progresses. These toxic clumps are found in more than 90% of people with the disease and are believed to contribute to the death of beta cells. As more cells die, the body loses its ability to produce insulin naturally.

“Our goal has been to protect the cells that are still alive,” said Nogaj. “If we can stop the harmful protein aggregation, we may be able to slow the loss of insulin-producing cells.”

Inspired by differences observed in animals that do not naturally develop Type 2 diabetes, such as mice, rats and pigs, the researchers engineered synthetic peptide variants designed to block the toxic aggregation process. One peptide demonstrated the ability to prevent harmful protein buildup and protect living pancreatic cells in laboratory studies.

“We designed a small protein fragment that acts like a shield,” said Moffet. “It keeps the harmful proteins from sticking together and forming the fibers that damage cells. In our lab models, the cells stay healthier when this peptide is present.”

The patent opens the door to further development, including animal studies and potential therapeutic applications. The next phase of research will focus on understanding exactly how the peptide protects cells at the molecular level and testing its effectiveness in living organisms.

A Cross-Campus Research Collaboration

The research reflects a deeply integrated partnership between the two universities.

At Loyola Marymount University, Moffet and his students conducted biochemical experiments to visualize and measure protein aggregation. At Mount Saint Mary’s University, Nogaj and her students tested promising peptides in living pancreatic beta cells to determine whether they could truly protect the cells against IAPP toxicity.

During NIH-funded summer programs, undergraduate students from each institution worked full time in the labs, often visiting the partner campus to learn complementary techniques.

The collaboration highlights the power of hands-on undergraduate research at both institutions, where students played a central role in experiments, data collection and published findings.