Ian Miller Williams, BS
Graduate Student, Wasserman laboratory, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
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823 Light Hall
Impaired insulin-stimulated muscle glucose uptake is a hallmark of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Before insulin can stimulate the muscle to take up glucose, it must first cross the endothelial barrier that separates the plasma from the interstitial fluid that bathes myocytes. I have developed an intravital microscopy technique which allows us to directly visualize and quantitate the trans-endothelial efflux of insulin in skeletal muscle. I am using this technique to 1) determine the mechanism by which insulin crosses the endothelium (i.e. receptor-mediated transport or passive diffusion) and 2) determine if impaired trans-endothelial movement of insulin may contribute to muscle insulin resistance.