I have a long-lasting interest in the pancreatic islet. Studying it fulfilled my scientific curiosity for years and continues to inspire new questions...

During my doctoral studies at the University of Basel, I investigated the role of novel physiological crosstalk between macrophages and insulin producing β cells in regulating glucose homeostasis. My postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics focused on the molecular basis of β-cell heterogeneity. I developed a novel method, SCAN-seq, to identify two distinct β-cell subsets with unique epigenetic profiles (low or high levels of the chromatin modification H3K27me3). We called them β_LO and β_HI. They have distinct morphology, metabolism, and insulin secretion patterns. Interestingly, one of these subsets, β_HI, expresses CD24, a cell surface glycoprotein implicated in regulation of the immune system. The identification of this unique (epigenetic) heterogeneity in β-cells opens up new avenues for research.

In my lab, we utilize SCAN-seq and other cutting-edge techniques to study the pancreatic islets inside out. Our goal is to uncover novel insights into the immune-metabolic nexus within the pancreatic islet, ultimately leading to the development of innovative therapeutic approaches for diabetes.