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Human islet image showing the insulin producing (white) and glucagon producing (red) cells
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Diabetes is a devastating disease with clear cellular and molecular alterations in pancreas and intestine. This pillar aims to bridge basic to translational discoveries and develop tools for safe therapies for diabetes . A major focus is on improving safety and sustainability of cell replacement therapies. Stem cell-derived islets hold enormous promise, but significant hurdles remain before they become a routine clinical option. We are particulalry interested in addressing the safety and long-term sustainibility of the cell therapy product for people livig with type 1 diabetes. We work on addressing these bottlenecks using insights gained from our basic research on pancreas development and regeneration.
We are also interested the role of the gut in diabetes, using both pancreatic and intestinal organoid systems. The crosstalk between these two organs, through incretin signalling, nutrient sensing, and shared developmental origins in the endoderm, is central to glucose homeostasis and holds underexplored therapeutic potential. New ideas for colaboration and projects are always welcomed at the interface of intestinal-pancreas biology.