Alyssa Weinrauch

Dr. Alyssa Weinrauch is a postdoctoral researcher working in the labs of Dr. James Johnson and Dr. Francis Lynn at the Life Sciences Institute at UBC and the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. She completed her PhD at the University of Alberta with Dr. Greg Goss, as well as postdoctoral studies at the University of Manitoba first with Dr. Gary Anderson and then Dr. Ken Jeffries, respectively. Her academic training has focused on the functional evolution of digestive physiology and its endocrine regulation. Upon joining UBC with Drs. Johnson, Lynn and Dan Luciani she began studying the role of fats in stem cell derived beta cells versus primary human islets for diabetes therapies. Her current work, supported by Michael Smith Health Research BC, investigates whether underlying differences in fat composition, storage and usage as a fuel in beta cells from stem cells and adult human donors contribute to differences in insulin secretion. By understanding these differences, this work will provide critical information about how stem cell derived beta cells work and identify ways to improve their function for improved used as a curative therapy for Type 1 diabetes.