Channeling Mechanisms Underlying Islet Function and Dysfunction
Saturday, June 22, at 1:30 p.m. ET
Room W415B (Valencia Ballroom)
Orange County Convention Center
{Livestream Available)
Impact of Intracellular Calcium Flux on Beta-Cell Insulin Secretion
Marjan Slak Rupnik, PhD
Principal Investigator,
Medical University of Vienna
What is your presentation about?
Transient phenomena in intracellular calcium ion fluxes in Beta-cells that regulate insulin granule exocytosis and cell collective activity. The focus will be on the intricate interplay between IP3 and ryanodine receptor activity, the multidimensionality of Beta-cell activation/inhibition, and how data science approaches can promote high-throughput analysis of Beta-cell collectives.
How do you hope your presentation will impact diabetes research or care?
New insights into the delicate mechanisms that regulate intracellular calcium ion release and Beta-cell collective activity are critical for understanding Beta-cell physiology and pathophysiology, as well as for unraveling the conditions for studying new pharmacological targets and translating them into diabetes care.
How did you become involved with this area of diabetes research or care?
I am a neuroscientist trained in patch-clamp technique, endocrine tissue slicing, and high-end light microscopy to follow ion channels, granule exocytosis, and intracellular calcium ion homeostasis. I entered the field more than 20 years ago by extending our expertise to the preparation of pancreatic tissue slices in rodents. More recently, we have developed a number of high-throughput analytical approaches to study Beta-cell function and the role of intracellular calcium ion release channels in this function.