Pancreas

Leading investigators in diabetes, pancreas and islet biology, and computational biology have received $12.5 million in two five-year awards from the National Institutes of Health to create the world’s first, integrated knowledge base of human-derived tissue- and cellular-level pancreatic information to support innovative, collaborative and reproducible research. Read More

In the largest study of its kind, researchers at Vanderbilt have identified unexpected alterations in the exocrine tissues of the pancreas that occur in the two major forms of diabetes, and with aging and obesity. Read More

The lab of Kathy DelGiorno seeks to understand changes in the pancreas in response to injury and disease. In a recent project led by graduate student Leah Caplan, the lab investigated the formation of enteroendocrine cells throughout pancreatic tumor development. Read More

Research from scientists at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies shows that cells in the pancreas form new cell types to mitigate injury but are then susceptible to cancerous mutations. Read More

The multicellular, 3-D structure of human pancreatic islets — the areas of the pancreas containing hormone-producing or endocrine cells — has presented challenges to researchers as they study and manipulate these cells’ function, but Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers have now developed a pseudoislet system that allows for much easier study of islet function. Read More

Vanderbilt cell biologists are defining the factors that help beta cells in the pancreas stay healthy, secrete insulin and prevent diabetes initiation and progression. Read More

Macie Glover sprinted across the gym floor at school earlier this year, tripped and crashed into a wall. In a bizzare sequence of events, she hit her head and arm and scraped her knees as the force of the crash propelled her whole body arching backward into a crescent shape. Read More

A new method developed at Vanderbilt will speed the search for potential therapeutics for diabetes: compounds that stimulate the replication of insulin-producing beta cells. Read More

The growth factor FGF1 induces the growth of new insulin-producing beta cells and may help treat type 2 diabetes. Read More

The protein CaMKII acts as a calcium sensor in a positive feedback pathway that enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers describe a new technique for identifying factors that stimulate the proliferation of pancreatic beta cells – factors that might offer therapeutic options for diabetes. Read More

Adult cells in the pancreas can return to a less mature state – and then become a different cell type, like the beta cells that secrete insulin. Read More

Vanderbilt and University of California investigators have discovered the “cell of origin” for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, a finding that could lead to early detection methods and new treatments. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a biomarker for beta cells that could make it easier to detect diabetes earlier. Read More

A strain of mutant mice provide a novel model for studying glucose intolerance and gestational diabetes during pregnancy and suggest that certain molecules may be useful for therapeutic applications. Read More

A growth factor may help grow transplantation-quality pancreas cells for treating diabetes. Read More