Project summary
In many types of diabetes, insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas become stressed and damaged. Professor Terence Herbert has found that a group of molecules called RNA binding proteins (RBPs) may play an important role in helping beta cells survive this stress. In this project, his PhD student will explore how these proteins work and whether they could help protect beta cells and to prevent or slow the progress of diabetes.
Background to research
In different types of diabetes, insulin-producing beta cells become damaged and die, meaning they can no longer make enough insulin. One of the key triggers of this damage is cell stress.
When cells become stressed, they can switch on special survival systems to try and protect themselves. RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are molecules that help make new proteins in response to stress. These proteins could be part of the survival system that protects beta cells, but no one has yet studied them in detail.
Professor Terrence Herbert has already identified all the RBPs found in beta cells and now wants to find out which ones are most important in protecting them stress.
Research aims
Professor Herbert and his PhD student will study beta cells grown in the lab and expose them to stress. They’ll then use advanced genetic techniques to find out which RBPs are most important for helping the cells survive.
Once they’ve identified the key protective proteins, they’ll study how they work by switching them off and looking at what happens to the cells. Finally, they’ll confirm their findings using cells from mice. This could reveal potential targets for future diabetes treatments to help beta cells bounce back from stress and survive.
Potential benefit to people with diabetes
This research could discover new ways that beta cells protect themselves from stress. In the future, this knowledge could help scientists develop treatments that help beta cells bounce back from stress and survive, to slow the progression of, or even prevent, different types of diabetes.
