| 1972 |
Published a landmark study showing that high levels of blood glucose and lack of insulin, not heredity, were the major risk factors in diabetes and it's complications. The findings demonstrated the importance of normalizing blood glucose levels, which has become the accepted aim of enlightened therapy for all people with diabetes. |
| 1973 |
First to show that diabetic children are protected from capillary and vascular disease until after puberty. |
| 1979 |
Refuted a major government-backed study (UGDP) which would have banned the use of oral diabetes medications, forcing diabetics to take insulin or face poorly controlled diabetes. Cardiovascular deaths in patients treated with the placebo was four times greater than in the diabetic patients treated with insulin. |
| 1980 |
Presented new evidence showing that diabetic collagen (scar tissue) disease is linked to an imbalance of hormones and enzymes. |
| 1982 |
First to show the presence of abnormal amounts of glucose in kidney vessels of diabetics, further underscoring the importance of normalizing blood glucose levels. |
| 1983 |
Unveiled major evidence showing how injured vessels cause heart attacks and the need for medications to prevent this injury. These findings also have important implications for non-diabetics. Discovered that new vessels in people with diabetes are more leaky and fragile than in non-diabetics. This leakiness can result in an edema or hemorrhage leading to impaired vision or blindness. |
| 1984 |
First and only study of capillary basement membrane disease in children and young adults with cystic fibrosis. All patient studied had diabetes or impaired carbohydrate tolerance. |
1985 |
Important discovery that increased leakiness of blood vessels in the eyes, nerves, arteries and kidneys of diabetic animals is caused by increased production of the sugar alcohol sorbitol by the enzyme aldose reductase. |
| 1986 |
First to show that elevated levels of sorbitol increase blood flow in the vascular cells and that this increased blood flow damages the eyes and nerves of people with diabetes. |
| 1987 |
Pioneered an innovative investigative procedure allowing researchers to conduct a variety of tests about the effects of diabetes on tissue growth and vessel formation. |
1988 |
Important evidence showing that diabetic kidney disease is linked to increased formation of the sugar alcohol sorbitol. |
| 1989 |
Authored or co-authored over 150 articles and three books. Lectured in U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. |
| 1991 |
Unveiled new discovery showing that elevated levels of nitric oxide, a by-product of nitroglycerin, are very harmful to the nerves and vascular cells of diabetics. |
| 1992 |
Discovered two compounds which appear to be the first drugs that selectively inhibit formation of the excess nitric oxide that causes diseases without blocking formation of the nitric oxide needed to prevent hypertension. |
| 1993 |
Obtained evidence indicating that elevated glucose levels mimic the effects of hypoxia and ischemia on vascular metabolism and function in tissues that are predisposed to development of late complications of diabetes. Also found that antioxidants, like those used in packaging of breakfast cereals and other foods, i.e. Beta Carotene, Vitamin E & C, appear to protect vessels from injury caused by diabetes. |
1994 |
Found new drug to prevent vascular and neural dysfunction in animals by selectively venting the hypoxia-like (lack of oxygen) effects of elevated glucose levels and at the same time provides strong evidence which refutes other hypotheses regarding how diabetes causes injury to these tissues. The importance of this finding is that it points the way to other factors that may contribute to diabetic complications as well as providing direction for development of new pharmacological agent to prevent and treat complications. |
| 1995 |
Obtained first evidence that impaired vascular responses to injury (which are important to wound healing) induced by diabetes are caused by increased sorbitol pathway metabolism. |
| 1996 |
Demonstrated that elevated glucose levels in skeletal muscle of non-diabetic transgenic mice increase blood flow by increasing sorbitol pathway metabolism. |
1997 |
Reported first evidence that human C-peptide prevents vascular and nerve damage induced by diabetes in rats and that effects of C-peptide are mediated by a novel mechanism of binding to cells. These findings suggest that C-peptide may be useful in the prevention and treatment of diabetic complications in people. |
| 1998 |
With the retirement of Dr. Joseph Williamson, Director of Research, The Kilo Foundation entered into an agreement with Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology to continue conducting research regarding the causes and appropriate treatment of diabetic complications and cardiovascular disease. New research will focus on the isolation of genes responsible for Type 1 diabetes and using X-ray crystallography to study the molecules of Type 2 diabetes. |
| 2000 |
The Kilo research unit at the Department of Pathology and Immunology of Washington University examined by very high molecular resolution (x-ray crystallography) the histocompatibility molecules. These molecules are proteins that are involved in inducing the autodestructive process that kills the beta cells (where insulin is made) and results in insulin dependent diabetes. The histocompatibility molecules contain small molecules (peptides) that are responsible for stimulating T cells that destroy the islet cells. In another study, the genes from T cells that destroy islet cells were identified and injected into developing mouse eggs and those mice, with the identified genes, developed diabetes. This is the first step that can identify what causes Type I diabetes and lead to a cure. |
2001
|
Research funded by the Kilo Foundation is now exploring processes that hold promise for the regeneration of islet cells in humans. Additionally, Dr.'s Ido and Williamson's associates discovered the signaling pathway that increases blood flow in muscles and in the brain during physiological work. This knowledge of metabolic changes has important implications for increasing the sensitivity of methods currently used to map areas of the brain concerned with our senses as well as diagnosing tumors and other diseases. |
| 2002 |
The peptides bound to the histocompatibitly molecules are identified by a new technique called mass spectrometry in research that involves participation of the Department of Chemistry at Washington University. |
| 2003 |
The Kilo Labortory Medical Director, Dr. Emil Unanue and Washington University Research Labs are the first laboratories in the world to provide evidence for a cure of Type 1 diabetes in mice. This information can lead to understanding and preventing human Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. |
| 2004 |
Further chemical analysis discloses that the peptides in the histocopmpatibility molecules are very special. The information now allows the peptides involved in the diabetic patient to be tracked. With this information, investigators start searching the responsible peptides for beta cells. Among the peptides, unique chemical changes are found in cells that have been subjected to chemical alterations or "stresses". These chemical alterations are also found in beta cells of patients with Type 2 diabetes. At the Cneter for Human Nutrition studies were conducted on obese, Type 2 diabetic women and performed large-volume abdominal liposuction. It was determined that the significant reduction of adipose tissue does not significantly improve metabolic abnormatlities associated with diabetes. Dr.'s Ido and Williamson's work on increased blood flow progressed and was supported by the Department of Neurology at Washington University where there was evidence of increased blood flow in the brains of humans as well as those in laboratory animals. |
| 2005 |
Research continues to examine the properties of the small fragments (peptides) of proteins that cause diabetes. The expectation is that the peptides will be identified and will enable the researchers to make better predictions on the causative molecules. The first major characterization of peptides bound to the human histocompatibilty molecules involved in diabetes were published in a major medical journal. The study explains the uniqueness of the histocompatibility molecules and their role in type 1 diabetes. Research has also identified very special changes in proteins caused by cells when they react to abnormal stimuli. We have found that such special changes make the immune system now react to the protein. This result suggests that stresses on the cells may be one way to start the abnormal immune reaction of the diabetic patient. |
| 2006 |
The Kilo Laboratories and the Pathology/Immunology Department of Washington University continue to focus their research efforts on how abnormal immunological recations develop and attack the islet of Langerhans (beta cells found inside the pancreas which are responsible for the producation of insulin). Our research has identified many of the genes and proteins responsible for the changes noted in patients with type 1 diabetes. The lessons learned from examining these genes, proteins and cells focus on discovering the causes of the disease, which will lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies and eventually a cure for diabetes. |
| 2007/2008 |
Since year 2000, Dr. Emil Unanue, an expert in autoimmune disease and director of the Kilo Laboratory at Washington University has published 23 articles in leading medical publications. his team of biochemists, immunologist, x-ray crystallographer andsenior staff research scientists are investigating the cellular abnormalities in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Their research findings have established them as major leaders in the search for a diabetes cure. They are the first researchers to establish a cure for Type 1 diabetes in mice.
The research work of Dr. Joseph Williamson and Dr. Charles Kilo investigating the causes of diabetic complications and the need to control blood sugar to an A1C of less than 6% and return the cardiovascular risk factors to normal has been published. A major article defining the metabolic cause of diabetic complications has been submitted for publication. |
