Michael R. Rickels

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Department: Medicine

Contact information

700 Clinical Research Building
415 Curie Boulevard
Philadelphia, Pa 19104

Office: (215) 746-0025
Fax: (215) 573-5809

Education
B.A. (Mathematics major & Biology minor, Summa Cum Laude)
Colgate University , 1995.
M.D. (Top of the class)
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 1999.
M.S. (Translational Research)
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 2007.

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Description of Research Expertise

Dr. Rickels conducts patient-oriented diabetes research that aims at understanding the in vivo mechanisms of new diabetes treatments. Dr. Rickels' studies involve methodologies for quantitating insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, and glucose counterregulatory responses to hypoglycemia, and include the frequently-sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test, the glucose-potentiated arginine test, and hyperinsulinemic euglycemic and hypoglycemic clamps. Present work is directed at the effects of isolated islet or whole pancreas transplantation on insulin secretion and sensitivity in type 1 diabetic subjects, the effects of islet transplantation on counterregulatory defenses against hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetic subjects, the effects of the incretin hormone GLP-1 on insulin secretion in islet and pancreas transplant recipients, and the effects on insulin secretion of different strategies for enhancing GLP-1 effects in type 2 diabetes.

Description of Clinical Expertise

Dr. Rickels specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, hypoglycemia disorders, and general endocrinologic problems. Dr. Rickels predominantly cares for patients with either type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and is particularly interested in islet, pancreas, and kidney transplantation therapies for diabetes. Dr. Rickels presently serves as Medical Director for the Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation program.

Selected Publications

Rickels MR, Naji A, Teff KL: Acute insulin responses to glucose and arginine as predictors of beta-cell secretory capacity in human islet transplantation. Transplantation 84(10): 1357-1360, November 2007.

Liu C, Noorchashm H, Sutter JA, Naji M, Prak EL, Boyer J, Green T, Rickels MR, Tomaszewski JE, Siegel DL, Koeberlein B, Wang Z, Rostami SY, Barker CF, Naji A: B-Lymphocyte directed immunotherapy promotes long-term islet allograft survival in non-human primates. Nature Medicine 13(11): 1295-1298, November 2007.

Rickels MR, Kamoun M, Kearns J, Markmann JF, Naji Ali: Evidence for allograph rejection in an islet transplant recipient and effect on beta-cell secretory capacity. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 92(7): 2410-2414, July 2007.

Rickels MR, Schutta MH, Mueller R, Kapoor S, Markmann JF, Naji A, Teff KL: Glycemic thresholds for activation of counterregulatory hormone and symptom responses in islet transplant recipients. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 92(3): 873-879, March 2007.

Rickels MR, Kearns J, Markmann E, Palanjian M, Markmann JF, Naji A, Kamoun M: HLA sensitization in islet transplantation. Clinical Transplants 2006. Cecka JM, Terasaki PI (eds.). UCLA Tissue Typing Laboratory, Los Angles, CA, Chapter 34: 413-420, 2007.

Rickels MR, Naji A, Teff KL: Insulin sensitivity, glucose effectiveness, and free fatty acid dynamics after human islet transplantation for type 1 diabetes. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 91(6): 2138-2144, June 2006.

Rickels MR, Schutta MH, Mueller R, Markmann JF, Barker CF, Naji A, Teff KL: Islet cell hormonal responses to hypoglycemia after human islet transplantation for type 1 diabetes. Diabetes 54(11): 3205-3211, November 2005.

Rickels MR, Schutta MH, Markmann JF, Barker CF, Naji A, Teff KL: Beta-cell function following human islet transplantation for type 1 diabetes. Diabetes 54(1): 100-106, January 2005.

Rickels MR, Zhang X, Mumm S, Whyte MP: Oropharyngeal skeletal disease accompanying high bone mass and novel LRP5 mutation. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 20: 878-885, May 2005.

Rickels MR, Mandel SJ: Hypocalciuric hypercalcemia and autoantibodies against the calcium-sensing receptor. New England Journal of Medicine (letter) 351: 2237-2238, November 2004.

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