Laboratory of Dr. Vira Kravets at UCSD
Our goal is to understand the reasons behind the disproportionate control which insulin-producing β-cell subpopulations exert over pancreatic islet function. We aim to discover patterns of functional β-cell network plasticity in health and disease (Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes). Selected projects include:
Applying graph (network) analysis to resolve patterns of contact-based immunoendocrine interactions during onset of Type 1 diabetes.
Applying 4D confocal microscopy and functional network analysis to understand the role of alpha-beta cell interactions in insulin response to glucose.
Computation simulations of electrophysiology of pancreatic islets to study role of electrical and metabolic components of insulin-producing cells.
Approaches:
Targeted 2-photon laser ablation,
Confocal microscopy, 2nd harmonic spectroscopy,
Multi-photon imaging , Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging,
Computational models of electrophysiology,
Network (graph) theory,
Live pancreatic tissue with and without diabetes.
Funding:
Career At Scientific Interfaces
