A UF assistant professor researching regulatory T cells to help find better treatments for autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes was recently awarded a grant to continue his work.
Out of 140 applicants Joseph Larkin, 35, is one of four national winners who will be receiving $25,000 in research products from BD Biosciences.
BD Biosciences, an international medical technology company, awards the grants to enable important research by funding scientists' experiments to better understand disease, according to a press release.
Larkin will research regulatory T cells to determine their ability to regulate autoimmune diseases and cancers.
Ultimately, he said he hopes that his technique of modulating the cells will lead to the treatment of Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
A self-proclaimed Gator-for-life, Larkin received a Bachelor's Degree from UF in 1990 and graduated with his Ph.D. in 2000. Larkin began teaching at UF in April 2007 as an assistant professor in the department of microbiology and cell science.
