Sarah C. Graff
Graduate Student, Jacobson laboratory, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
Our lab studies the function of potassium channels in electrically excitable endocrine cells within the pancreas. We are particularly interested in the β-cell specific potassium channel, TALK-1. TALK-1 is the most abundant potassium channel in the β-cell, and a polymorphism within TALK-1 has been associated with an increased risk for Type-2 diabetes. Our lab has previously shown that TALK-1 channels regulate the β-cells ability to release insulin in response to glucose. My work focuses on characterizing this regulation so that we can better understand the function that the channel plays in diabetes.