Islet Biology Lab - UMH

The diabetes-associated K+ channel TALK-2 controls human beta cell endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ handling, which promotes basal insulin release and limits glucose-stimulated insulin secretion - Diabetolo... Aims/hypothesis The two-pore domain K+ channel TWIK1-related alkalinisation-activated K+ channel 2 (TALK-2) is encoded by KCNK17, which is one of the most abundant beta cell K+ channel transcripts tha...

The diabetes-associated K+ channel TALK-2 controls human beta cell endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ handling, which promotes basal insulin release and limits glucose-stimulated insulin secretion #DiabetesResearch #BetaCells #Islets link.springer.com/article/10.1... 🔓

Elevated MANF expression in β cells protects mice from streptozotocin-induced diabetes by attenuating islet stress and immunogenicity Type 1 diabetes (T1D) arises from autoimmune-mediated destruction of insulin-producing β cells, driven in part by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress an…

Li et al. demonstrate that elevated MANF levels protected against multiple low-dose streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemia, preserved β cell mass, enhanced proliferation, and reduced β cell DNA damage responses and islet lymphocyte infiltration. 🧪
#PancSky

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Implanted flexible electronics reveal principles of human islet cell electrical maturation Understanding how human pancreatic α and β cell electrical activities mature is critical for building fully functional stem cell–derived (SC-) pancreatic organoids for research and therapeutics. We im...

Li et al. developed tiny, stretchable electronics that can be implanted into stem cell-derived pancreatic organoids, allowing for the in vitro monitoring of α and β cell maturation.

www.science.org/eprint/YSRND...

Messenger RNA delivery to islet β cells using conjugated lipid nanoparticles Effective therapies for type 1 diabetes (T1D) must both restrain immune hyperactivity and reduce β cell susceptibility to destruction. We describe a l…

Enriquez et al. describe a lipid nanoparticle platform for β cell-enriched mRNA delivery that can be further augmented by conjugation to enhanced glucagon-like peptide-1. 🧪
#PancSky

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Cambraia et al. suggest that calorie restriction improves glucose homeostasis and remodels the islet microenvironment to promote beta cell longevity through a pro-tolerogenic immune microenvironment, which reduces the risk of autoimmune diabetes. 🧪
#PancSky

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Contreras et al. suggest that receptor interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) promotes β-cell demise in response to cytokine and autoimmune stress via actions on gene expression and kinase signaling. 🧪
#PancSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🚨Save the Date🚨

After 22 years, the EASD Annual Meeting returns to Copenhagen, Denmark from 18 - 22 Sep 2028 🎉

We look forward to welcoming the global #diabetes community back to one of #Europe 's most inspiring cities.
Stay tuned for more details!#EASD2028

#diabetes #annualmeeting #savethedate

Safety and pharmacokinetics of teplizumab in children less than 8 years of age with stage 2 type 1 diabetes - Diabetologia Aims/hypothesis Teplizumab is approved in the USA and seven other countries to delay stage 3 type 1 diabetes onset in individuals ≥8 years of age with stage 2 type 1 diabetes. As part of a US Food and...

Up front & free to read in our Feb issue #editorspicks: Safety and pharmacokinetics of teplizumab in children less than 8 years of age with stage 2 type 1 diabetes doi.org/10.1007/s001...

Differential immune- and apoptosis-related gene signatures in pancreatic alpha and beta cells contribute to their fate in type 1 diabetes - Cell Death & Differentiation Cell Death & Differentiation - Differential immune- and apoptosis-related gene signatures in pancreatic alpha and beta cells contribute to their fate in type 1 diabetes

Yi et al. show that combining large-scale single-cell and bulk RNA-seq analyses can identify key features underlying alpha-cell resistance to diabetes-related damage. 🧪
#PancSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Promotional graphic announcing that scientific submissions for EASD 2026 are open. Text highlights the dates “28 September-02 October” and the location “Milan, Italy.” A message invites researchers to submit abstracts to share their work with the global diabetes community. The design features red and white brush-stroke panels and a stylised skyline of Milan on the right, with “EASD 2026 Milan” and “easd.org” at the bottom.

🎯 Started preparing your #abstract submission for the 62nd EASD Annual Meeting? This is your sign to get started & share your #diabetes #research with the global community in Milan 🇮🇹 from 28 Sept - 02 Oct 2026.

🗓️ Deadline: 1 Apr 2026 | 🕛 18:00 CEST

Submit via MyEASD 👉 www.easd.org/annual-meeti...

Nuevo avance en la investigación contra el cáncer. Un equipo del @cniostopcancer.bsky.social, centro de dependiente del #ISCIII, logra resultados muy prometedores en modelo animal contra el cáncer de páncreas, abriendo nuevas vías para posibles ensayos clínicos.
⬇️
www.cnio.es/noticias/el-...

Promotional graphic reading “Call for Applications – EFSD/Novo Nordisk Foundation Future Leaders Award Programme.” Text explains the programme supports clinical and basic scientists in European diabetes research as they transition to tenured academic appointments and develop into future leaders. On the right, a photo shows a researcher using a microscope. EFSD logo and the website “europeandiabetesfoundation.org” appear at the bottom, set against a teal and green abstract background.

🚀 Apply now for the #EFSD/ @novo-nordisk.bsky.social Future Leaders Award! Supporting the next generation of #diabetes #research leaders in #Europe for up to 5 years.

📅 Deadline: 2 March 2026 | 🕛 12:00 CET

Apply now via the EFSD Programme Portal 👉 www.europeandiabetesfoundation.org/programmes/p...

Longitudinal monitoring of type 1 diabetes progression to disease onset Subcutaneous monitoring for type 1 diabetes identifies disease progressors from an at-risk group before symptom onset.

King et al. investigated the potential to delineate risk status (NOD versus NOR), eventual progression status (progressors and nonprogressors), and progression time frame via gene signatures derived from analysis of an immunological niche.
#type1diabetes

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

IL-21 mediates crosstalk between T cells and NK cells during the remission of type 1 diabetes - Nature Metabolism A pathogenic subset of NK cells is identified that promotes type 1 diabetes and is generated via T cell-derived IL-21.

Findings by Lei et al. reveal a mechanistic link, bridging adaptive and innate immunity, in the progression and remission of #type1diabetes that could potentially be exploited in T1D immunotherapy. 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Jin et al. show that α-cell pyruvate kinase and the mitochondrial PEP cycle sense leucine and inhibit KATP channels similarly to β-cells, while restricting amino acid–stimulated membrane depolarisation and Ca2+ influx.

diabetesjournals.org/diabetes/art...

📣 The moment you've been waiting for is here: Abstract submissions for the 62nd EASD Annual Meeting are officially open! Share your work with the global #diabetes community in Milan from 28 Sept - 02 Oct 2026.

📅 Deadline: 01 April 2026|🕛 18:00 CEST

👉 Submit via MyEASD: www.easd.org/annual-meeti...

One week to go!

Our virtual workshop “What’s going on in diabetes research?” takes place on Jan 23, 2026. 🔬🧪

The final program is out and colleagues worldwide are joining. 🌍

Free registration: t.co/dvRyM3HMV9

AMP deaminase-2- and adenosine deaminase-mediated disposal of β-cell intracellular adenosine protects against multiple low-dose streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes To evaluate the importance of AMPD2 and ADA, two adenosine disposal enzymes, for β-cell survival and the development of T1D.The nucleotide metabolism …

Singh et al. show that β-cells differ from α-cells in terms of the metabolism and disposal of intracellular adenosine, which makes β-cells more vulnerable to ATP-depleting stress, and therefore also more prone to being attacked by the immune system in T1D. 🧪

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Galectin-3 exacerbates autoimmune diabetes by limiting regulatory T cell differentiation and function Galectin-3 activates LAG3 to inhibit Treg cell differentiation and function, thereby triggering immune imbalance and insulitis.

Xie et al. report that serum Galectin-3 levels are significantly elevated in patients with #type1diabetes and that serum Galectin-3 are positively correlated with circulating LPS concentrations resulting from increased intestinal permeability. 🧪

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Beta-cell-specific C3 deficiency exacerbates metabolic dysregulation and insulin resistance in obesity C3 is highly expressed in human and rodent pancreatic islets, which secrete insulin to regulate blood glucose homeostasis. We have previously shown th…

King et al. generated a beta-cell-specific complement C3 knockout mouse to test whether cell-intrinsic C3 is required for beta-cell function in a whole animal model. 🧪
#PancSky

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Congrats, Enriqueta and team!!!

We just published results from our global survey on public awareness of the gut microbiota (1288 respondents, 54 countries). Results suggest that most respondents know that gut microbiota influences health, but there are still misunderstandings and misconceptions
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mic...

One week left to get your abstracts submitted for the Immunology of Diabetes Society Congress in Brisbane, April 2026!

@ids-t1d.bsky.social
#type1diabetes

(please share) Immediate #postdoc job opening in the Millman lab at WashU Med (St. Louis, MO).

Want to develop next-generation pancreatic islets for the study and treatment of diabetes? Email your CV to apply

sites.wustl.edu/millmanlab/

We’re proud to share that our PI Laura Marroquí (@lmarroqui) has joined the Editorial Board of @Diabetes_ADA.
A well-deserved recognition of her leadership and contributions to diabetes research.
Congratulations, Laura! 👏🏽

Just a reminder that our workshop will take place virtually on January 23, 2026.

Still thinking about registering? Colleagues from around the world have already signed up. The map says it all.🌍

It’s free. Register here:
👉 t.co/dvRyM3HMV9

Protective IFIH1 variant reduces immune-mediated islet stress and dysfunction in a type 1 diabetes genetic background Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have linked dozens of genetic loci to type 1 diabetes (T1D). The IFIH1 gene, which encodes the double-stranded RNA sensor MDA5, is one such locus. The E627* sing...

Veronese-Paniagua et al. hypothesised that stem cell-derived islets harbouring a protective IFIH1 variant exhibit a dampened immune response, which protects β cells from stress-induced dysfunction, identity loss, and death. 🧪
#PancSky

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Lin et al. reveal a critical role of pyruvate kinase M1-regulated PEP metabolism in stem cell-derived-β-cell functional maturation and highlight the importance of metabolic reprogramming for advancing stem cell-based therapies for diabetes. 🧪
#PancSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Abstract submissions for the Immunology of Diabetes Society - IDS 2026 are closing soon! IDS is the conference for #type1diabetes research in 2026...

Students and early-career researchers can apply for a travel award or a Rising Star award.

@ids-t1d.bsky.social