Home Department: Undeclared
Mentor: Seung Kim (Developmental Biology and Medicine - Endocrinology, Gerontology, & Metabolism)

"Testing β-cell–specific Inactivation of HOPX in Transplanted Pancreatic Islets"

Islet β-cell replacement in autoimmune type 1 diabetes holds therapeutic promise, but much remains to be learned about β-cell development and regulation. The Kim lab has identified candidate β-cell regulators and developed genetic tools to specifically target islet β cells. Loss of HOPX, an age-regulated gene, in whole human islets impairs function, but its role in β-cells is unexplored. Taisho’s project will involve conditionally inactivating Hopx in mouse β cells and assessing islet performance using cellular and physiological assays well established in our group. Defining how β-cell–specific HOPX loss alters islet function could inform strategies to improve β-cell replacement therapies.