Is fuel flexibility the key to making better stem cell-derived insulin secreting beta cells for type 1 diabetes therapy?

Pancreatic β cells produce insulin to control blood glucose. Loss of β cells results in type 1 diabetes (T1D), a chronic disease affecting ~56000 BC residents. One potentially curative therapy is transplantation of stem cell-derived (SC) β cells. Insulin is secreted from β cells in response to multiple nutrients, primarily glucose, but also amino acids and fats. Mature human β cells effectively switch between fats and glucose as fuels. SCβ cells do not properly activate this switch, resulting in a failure to secrete insulin in response to glucose. This project compares fat composition, storage, and use in β cells from stem cells and adult human donors and will provide critical understanding of how SCβ cells work and identify ways to improve their function. My preliminary work found a missing factor in SCβ cells with a potential role in fuel use and insulin secretion. I will be part of a collaborative setting at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Diabetes Research at UBC, receiving mentorship studying SCβ cells, donor islets, and lipid signalling. The CoE will also support the rapid mobilization of my findings towards transplantation trials and dissemination of results to the keenly interested and involved public affected by T1D.