Inspired by her father—an Italian physician with diabetes—Vittoria Santarone has made a donation to support the groundbreaking research of Alice Tomei, associate professor of biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering and director of the Islet Immunoengineering Lab at the University of Miami Diabetes Research Institute.
“My family has always had a charitable spirit, and I am glad to contribute to Dr. Tomei’s transformative work in regenerative medicine,” said Santarone, a yacht broker with The Italian Yacht Group in Fort Lauderdale. “This is exactly what my dad needs now, and her research holds so much potential for the future.”
Santarone’s commitment is part of the University’s Ever Brighter: The Campaign for Our Next Century. The most ambitious in the University’s history, the $2.5 billion campaign is set to conclude in 2025, when the University will celebrate its centennial.
Dr. Tomei is studying how insulin-producing cells, such as those derived from stem cells, could be safely transplanted to produce insulin in diabetic patients like Santarone’s father, Dr. Mauro Santarone, a cardiologist with Ospedale Valduce-Como in Como, Italy. “I am particularly interested in this issue both as a doctor and as a patient,” he said. “I have been living without a pancreas for many years and have to inject myself with four insulin doses every day. However, this does not control my blood sugar levels in an optimal way.”
Developing new therapies
In her laboratory Dr. Tomei is focusing on integrating immunological challenges with bioengineering platforms to develop better therapies for diabetes, such as restoring endogenous insulin production in diabetic patients by transplantation of insulin-secreting cells, including those generated from stem cells.
“Regenerative medicine offers a unique opportunity for patients with diabetes but clinical translation of these approaches is still limited,” Dr. Tomei said. “I want to increase the safety and efficacy of regenerative medicine therapies for diabetes that are based on cell transplantation and extend their applicability to more children and adults. But this research is costly, and Vittoria’s support contributes significantly to this important work.”
A medical challenge
Born and raised in northern Italy, Santarone grew up in a medical family with a cardiologist father and a dentist mother. She began working for an offshore racing shipyard on Lake Como, while earning a degree in economics at Bocconi University in Milan. She came to the U.S. in 2014 and entered the yacht brokerage business.
“When my dad developed cancer of the duodenum in 2008, the surgeons had to remove his pancreas and spleen,” Santarone said. “While he is in good general condition, his quality of life is compromised by challenges of managing the diabetes he developed.”
While enjoying life in South Florida, Santarone became friends with Dr. Tomei. “Right from the start, I was impressed by her generosity and concern for patients and families,” she said. “I knew she was doing research on diabetes, but didn’t realize right away that her studies could potentially help my dad. I hope that in the future, all patients with insulin-dependent diabetes can be cured and will not depend on life-long repeated and costly insulin injections.”
For his part, Dr. Santarone is grateful for his daughter’s contribution to Dr. Tomei’s work. “I hope I’m not too old not to be able to benefit from the final result of this fascinating challenge,” he said. “I thank my daughter and am very grateful to Dr. Tomei and all her staff for their skills, care, and enthusiasm.”
