Ashley Christensen
Department: Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
Faculty Mentor: Maureen Gannon, Ph.D.
Dissertation Description: Investigating G-protein-coupled receptors to treat type 2 diabetes
I work in a lab researching type 2 diabetes. We are studying ways to improve beta cell proliferation and survival in order to treat type 2 diabetes. EP3 and EP4 are two G-protein-coupled receptors that have opposing effects in beta cells. EP3 has been shown to inhibit beta cell proliferation and insulin secretion while EP4 has been shown to do the opposite. My project will use mouse models with a beta cell-specific EP3 or EP4 knock out to look at the effects of EP3 and EP4 on beta cell mass and proliferation under various circumstances, such as high fat diet and pregnancy.