-

San Diego is Leading in Bioscience

Bioscience San Diego: Leaders in the US

We know San Diego is a tourist destination due to its great weather, excellent food, and amazing beaches. Still, there’s a little-known secret behind San Diego’s success.

No, it’s not simply Balboa Park and its museums, SeaWorld, or the world-renowned San Diego Zoo.  San Diego is also home to some of the most well-known Bioscience companies.

Bioscience is a primary driver of the San Diego innovation economy. More than 1,225 life science enterprises and more than 80 independent and university-affiliated research institutions are located in the region.

What makes San Diego the life science capital of the US?

Photo of people walking down a street in San Diego

One of the major contributors to San Diego becoming the life science capital of the US is its foundation. With such a large number of firms and university-affiliated research institutions, it’s gained vast amounts of interest, increasing the economics of this region and, ultimately, the funding. 

We believe San Diego has reached this number-one spot for many reasons. However, here are the primary ones:

  • Lab Space – San Diego has about 18.63 million square feet of lab space, which is centered in the mid-county areas of Torrey Pines, Sorrento Mesa, and University Town Center.
  • Increased demand – The San Diego marketplace for bioscience has seen a rise in demand, with more than 6 million square feet added since 2015 and 3.25 million square feet under development.
  • Jobs – Life sciences workers make more than $92,913 per year, more than any other traded cluster in San Diego County.
  • Research Funds – NIH funding in biological sciences reached more than $817.63 million to UC San Diego. 
  • Economic Impact – Life sciences activity generates a total economic impact of $34 billion in San Diego.

When the above are combined, it generates a thriving community and economy in the bioscience sector—the reasons mentioned above are beyond expectations when compared to other regions or states in the US. 

Become a part of San Diego life sciences

Despite San Diego having many well-known and wonderful places to visit, the life science community is thriving, and people want to participate. At first, you might think this requires years of learning and certain PHDs or master’s degrees. However, this isn’t the case; anyone can help. 

At ProSciento, we’re dedicated to improving the well-being and treatments of patients diagnosed with obesity, fatty liver disease, and diabetes. Our scientists and researchers are looking for help from people like you. With your participation, we can undergo important clinical research for new therapies to help those suffering from the three health conditions mentioned above. 

Your help will be noticed, too. We’ll happily pay you if you participate or refer anyone to help with our clinical research. With your help, we can improve life sciences in San Diego and, most importantly, help those with health complications to gain access to newer and better treatments. 

Join today and become a part of a brighter future

Joining the thriving Bioscience community has never been easier. Start by applying online by filling in a form that can get found on our homepage

How Does Diabetes Affect the Immune System?

How Does Diabetes Affect the Immune System?

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder associated with elevated blood glucose (blood sugar). Despite the serious health risks that diabetes can pose, it affects an alarming number of people in the United States (more than 34 million).

However, having this medical issue doesn’t only affect your heart, kidneys, and brain, but it also has long-term and damaging effects on your immune system. Long-term uncontrolled diabetes weakens your immune system and increases your vulnerability to illnesses and infections.

But what is the reason for this? How does diabetes affect the immune system?

  • Diabetes impairs white blood cells’ ability to reach the site of infection.
  • Chronic hyperglycemia slows blood perfusion via blood vessels.
  • High glucose levels inhibit and suppress neutrophil synthesis.
  • Diabetes causes a reduced complement response
  • Bacteria thrive and grow in an environment of high blood sugar.

Here are the five primary ways diabetes can affect the immune system. You can prevent these issues from worsening by controlling and managing your blood sugar levels and keeping them within limits. Therefore, taking your medicines on time, eating a healthy diet, avoiding junk food, exercising, and staying hydrated can lower the threat presented by the above. 

Why does diabetes affect the immune system?

Photo of a medical staff member performing a telehealth appointment

When you have diabetes, the immune system starts attacking and destroying the beta cells located in the pancreas. Ultimately, this leads to a lack of hormone insulation, which means that the sugar glucose level in the blood can’t be controlled. 

Though diabetes is still a considerable health risk to people worldwide, there’s a lack of understanding about it. Researchers and scientists are still trying to discover why immune cells attack insulin-producing cells

Without an in-depth or comprehensive understanding of this, it’s challenging to determine why diabetes affects your immune system. However, with more clinical research studies around this topic happening worldwide, we can soon develop a better understanding of this and reduce its severity. 

How to boost your immune system even if you have diabetes

Your immune system is an incredible bodily function that ensures that you’re healthy and fighting off diseases. When it becomes weaker because of diabetes, you need to take extra measures to ensure it’s boosted. Doing this will help you reduce the number of times you’re sick, improving your lifestyle immensely. 

One of the most prominent ways to increase the stress on your immune system is by lowering stress. High levels of stress can cause your immune system to become weaker and make those with stress frequently ill. 

There are several ways you can approach this. Having a good diet, active life, and meditation classes can help. Other methods for strengthening the immune system include:

  • Stop smoking
  • Avoid drinking too much alcohol
  • Enhance your sleeping patterns
  • Have a well-balanced diet rich in whole foods
  • Obtain adequate vitamin D

Protect your immune system

Now that you understand how diabetes affects the immune system, it’s time to get protected. Guarantee you’re living a healthy, active life that includes a well-rounded diet. These small actions can help reduce the severity of the illness and lower the problems that can occur. 

Risk of Developing Type 1 Diabetes

Risk of Developing Type 1 Diabetes

The CDC predicts that 37.3 million Americans have diabetes, making it one of the most common chronic diseases in the United States. Out of these people, 1.45 million have type 1 diabetes. 

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease where your pancreas can’t produce insulin. As a result, those with the illness must perform daily management for blood sugar monitoring and insulin injection. 

Because it’s a disease many people in the States have, it’s essential to know the risk of developing type 1 diabetes. Understanding this can help prevent its more severe effects and damage. 

Risk factors for type 1 diabetes

photo of a medical professional passing a continuous glucose monitor to a patient

Type 1 diabetes (also known as insulin-dependent diabetes) is a genetically-driven disease. Therefore, the three primary risk factors of this illness include: 

  • Age – Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age. However, it generally develops in younger adults and children. 
  • Genetics – Certain genes might increase the likelihood of developing type 1 diabetes (known as HLA-DQA1, HLA-DQB1, and HLA-DRB1). A doctor can test for these genes.
  • Family history – Having close family members with type 1 diabetes raises the chance of getting the disease. The risk increases if both parents have type 1 diabetes.

As seen, the risk of developing type 1 diabetes is limited. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 isn’t developed from lifestyle choices. Anybody is susceptible to type 1, regardless of their healthy, active lifestyle. 

What causes type 1 diabetes

Insulin-dependent diabetes occurs when your immune system mistakenly targets and eliminates insulin-producing cells in your pancreas. This destruction can unfold over months or years, eventually leading to insulin deficiency.

Although scientists are unsure of the origin of Type 1 diabetes, they believe it has a significant genetic component. A study produced by Pediatr Diabetes suggests that the general risk of this disease is 0.4%. However, children with type 1 diabetes have an average lifetime risk of 6-7%.

But we must note that it’s well-documented that scientists have mentioned that environmental chemicals (Air pollution, tobacco smoke, etc.) might trigger or accelerate the development of type 1 diabetes.

Is type 1 diabetes preventable?

Though scientists are working on ways to slow down or prevent the progression of insulin-dependent diabetes, it’s still undiscovered. Therefore, you can do little to avoid Type 1 diabetes. 

However, there are methods to reduce the severity of the illness:

  • Monitoring and managing your blood sugar levels effectively 
  • Following your doctor’s advice on how to live a healthy lifestyle
  • Getting regular health check-ups that showcase your overall wellness and seeking improvement 

These are the only ways to decrease the damage of type 1 diabetes. But remember, it will never prevent it. 

Additionally, if you’re diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you must get educated on self-management. Knowing about the disease can undoubtedly reduce the risks involved.

Conclusion

After reading the above, you should understand the risk of developing type 1 diabetes. As you now know, this disease is genetically driven. Therefore, it’s more likely to affect those that already have the illness in the family. 

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a pioneer in diabetes research you can check out our current studies at the link below.