Kharbikar receives JDRF Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowship

Bhushan Kharbikar, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratories of Professors Qizhi Tang, PhD, and Tejal Desai, PhD, has been awarded a prestigious JDRF Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowship. JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. This JDRF fellowship is designed to attract qualified and promising scientists, provide an opportunity for full-time research training, and assist individuals in transitioning from a fellowship to an independent faculty-level position.

Immune rejection poses a significant challenge to successful islet transplantation. Consequently, recipients are compelled to undergo lifelong systemic immunosuppression, which carries high risks of infections, cancers, and patient burdens. A collaborative effort between the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Science and Diabetes Center, Kharbikar’s research focuses on creating targeted drug delivery systems for immunomodulatory agents in order to establish a localized immunosuppressive environment at the transplantation site, thereby addressing immune-mediated rejection and eliminating the requirement for systemic immunosuppression. For Kharbikar, this “innovative approach aims to enable efficient islet transplantation while preserving the integrity of the recipient’s immune system.”

JDRF envisions the three-year award term as a period in which fellows will receive critical research training, positioning them to work at the leading edge of their chosen field.

Kharbikar’s fellowship award aligns with JDRF’s vision of a future without type 1 diabetes by helping scientists like him establish careers in the field of T1D research.