Research

The research activities of the Pancreatic Islet Biology and Diabetes Consortium fall into the following main categories:

Genomics, Genetics and Personalised Medicine in Diabetes

Deploying high-throughput sequencing technologies and unique patient cohorts, this theme focuses on leveraging genomic, genetic and epigenetic data towards new therapies for diabetes. We are also interested in identifying new disease biomarkers and in developing new devices for insulin delivery.

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Prof Guy Rutter and Dr Pauline Chabosseau undertake confocal imaging

Islet Cell Biology: birth, identity and death

Pancreatic islet beta cells work together in the islet micro-organ to produce insulin. Loss or dysfunction of these cells underlies all forms of diabetes mellitus, and changes in other islet cell types can exacerbate the disease process. Genome editing, directed differentiation and modelling of genetic variants are being used to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes.

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Systems Biology: tissue interactions and communication

Islet hormone secretion is controlled by multiple systemic and neuronal cues and this theme deploys technologies including optogenetics and targeted gene inactivation to study these at the whole organism level.

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Technology Development and Cores

Interacting with the basic science faculties at Imperial and with the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, this theme develops technologies including imaging, photopharmacology, gene editing and glucose sensing.

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