SARS-CoV-2 Infection Induces Beta-Cell Transdifferentiation
La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom C
Level 2, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Q&A with Shuibing Chen, PhD
Professor,
Weill Cornell Medicine
What is your presentation about?
- SARS-CoV-2 viral antigen is detected in beta cells of autopsies of COVID-19 subjects.
- SARS-CoV-2-induced beta cell transdifferentiation is mediated by eIF2 pathway.
- Trans-ISRIB reverses SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced beta cell transdifferentiation.
- Proinflammatory macrophages are activated in SARS-CoV-2 infected human islets, as well as autopsies of COVID-19 subjects.
What makes this topic important in 2022?
COVID-19 is affecting everyone’s daily life throughout the world, and recent epidemiology studies suggest an increased risk of diabetes in young adults diagnosed with COVID-19.
How did you become involved with this area of diabetes research or care?
I was inspired by my postdoctoral mentor, Dr. Douglas Melton. When I joined Melton lab back in 2007, Doug focused on developing strategies to convert stem cells to pancreatic beta cells for replacement therapy for diabetic patients. After I became independent, I continued working in this field and used stem cell models to study the impact of genetic and environmental factors on diabetes progression.
[sub-post-content]