The ASPIRE Path in Molecular Medicine

I am a Molecular Physiology & Biophysics student in Dr. Alvin C. Powers’ Laboratory. The overarching purpose of the Powers Lab is to understand how glucose stimulates insulin secretion by pancreatic islet cells and to characterize and reverse abnormalities in this process present in diabetes. The reduced beta cell mass following the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is not restored or regenerated. My project focuses on elucidating molecular pathways of beta cell function and proliferation in order to determine effective ways to replenish beta cell mass in patients with diabetes.