Type 1 diabetes affects over 28 million people around the world, including 9 million people in the U.S.A. alone. A College of Idaho graduate Ahmed Nurkovic has formed a hypothesis that may lay the foundations for the cure.
This hypothetical has earned Nurkovic a place at Imperial College where he will pursue his master’s degree, with an additional fully funded offer to fulfill his PhD studies. Imperial College is ranked #6 (QS Rankings) globally when it comes to masters’ programs. (The QS World University Rankings are a ranking of the world’s top universities produced by Quacquarelli Symonds published annually since 2004.) While there Nurkovic will receive a grant covering the entirety of his research thanks to funding from future supervisor Dr. Jun Ishihara.
Aiming to use biomedicines newest artificial receptors Nurkovic’s hypothesizes they can be used to target toxic t-cells which destroy beta cells and play a key role in type 1 diabetes. Similar techniques are being used on other autoimmune diseases, but this will be a first regarding type 1 diabetes.
Nurkovic double majored in international political economy and biomedical sciences, and over the last few years Nurkovic has been working with the Idaho based Dr. Mark Gunderson. Their research was sponsored by IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence, and is currently being reviewed by multiple scientific journals, and is pending publication.
Competing in national science competitions from a young age in Montenegro, Nurkovic has always been destined to make a difference in the scientific field. He credits his experiences in Idaho as a major part of his scientific and personal development. Nurkovic aims to utilize the double major he’s earned at The College of Idaho and bridge the gap between the scientific community and the public.
“I didn’t know before coming here (The College of Idaho) where my career path might lead. I had a passion for knowledge, and working in the lab conditions here, as well as learning from amazing professors in the IPE and medical science departments has allowed me to think outside the box. The professors here showed me that everyone has the potential to be a changemaker” said Nurkovic.
“I’m interested in the social aspect of health. People are often estranged from scientific ideas,” he added. “I want to combine the interdisciplinary knowledge I’ve gained at C of I, and I feel this opportunity (Imperial College) will allow me to conduct research, while also increasing sciences accessibility.”
At Imperial College Nurkovic will be working with Dr. Ishihara, a co-founder of multiple companies: Arrow Immune Inc., which focuses on the clinical translation of cancer immunotherapy techniques. HeioThera Inc. focuses on the clinical translation of anti-inflammatory therapeutics, and ScienceLounge LLC., which runs a science bar in Tokyo for scientific outreach activities. As well as leading these various laboratories he is also the professor of immuno-engineering for drug discovery at Imperial College’s department of bioengineering.
Nurkovic was ecstatic to get an interview with Dr. Ishihara and decided to read through his work. What was supposed to be a brief reading spiraled into a life-changing realization. Utilizing treatment techniques used in other auto immune diseases, Nurkovic applied these treatments to type 1 diabetes.
During the interview Nurkovic pitched his ideas on type 1 diabetes. The scholarship offers, and research grant soon followed, as well as a consulting role at one of Ishihara’s companies.
When questioned on the importance of his future work Nurkovic said “You can never be certain of what’s going to happen, especially in science… (if successful) it would be something I carry with me for life, my primary goal when pursuing an education was the general betterment of society, so if I am able to contribute towards this goal even just a little, then I will be very proud.”
Nurkovic hopes his time at Imperial College will allow him to pass on the knowledge he learns and make a difference in his home nation of Montenegro.
“The idea of going back to build and develop research institutions that will show kids in Montenegro that they have the potential to make change is something that I’m striving to achieve. There is potential all around the world just waiting to be utilized.” said Nurkovic.
For now, Nurkovic’s work remains hypothetical, and his transition to life in London, and Imperial College are yet to begin. However, should everything go as planned, Nurkovic, a College of Idaho alumnus may be on his way to winning a Nobel Prize.
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