An iPSCs-based approach to model Type Two Diabetes in-vitro
ApplyProject Description
Studying the transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms dysregulated in patients affected by metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is essential to derive efficient pharmacological approaches. We are seeking an outstanding student to work on a project focused on the study of the role of histone modifiers to the onset of metabolic disorders.
Program -
BioScience
Division -
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Field of Study -
Molecular and Cellular Biology and/or Bioinformatics
About the
Researcher
Antonio Adamo
Assistant Professor, Bioscience
Professor Adamo’s research interests focus on the study of the transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms dysregulated in metabolic disorders such as Insulin Resistance (IR) and Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). His team relies on the use of the innovative reprogramming technique to derive induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from fibroblasts obtained from large cohorts of patients and healthy donors. iPSCs can be differentiated to virtually all cell types of the human body and therefore constitute an unprecedented cellular platform to model disease progression. Professor Adamo’s team combines reprogramming, next generation sequencing (NGS), genome editing and cellular biology techniques to identify the transcriptional and epigenetic signatures prognostic of metabolic diseases and to develop in vitro screening assays aimed to isolate chemical compounds able to revert these pathological signatures.
Professor Adamo’s research interests focus on the study of the transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms dysregulated in metabolic disorders such as Insulin Resistance (IR) and Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). His team relies on the use of the innovative reprogramming technique to derive induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from fibroblasts obtained from large cohorts of patients and healthy donors. iPSCs can be differentiated to virtually all cell types of the human body and therefore constitute an unprecedented cellular platform to model disease progression. Professor Adamo’s team combines reprogramming, next generation sequencing (NGS), genome editing and cellular biology techniques to identify the transcriptional and epigenetic signatures prognostic of metabolic diseases and to develop in vitro screening assays aimed to isolate chemical compounds able to revert these pathological signatures.
Desired Project Deliverables
The selected candidate will use human stem cells and terminally differentiated glucose sensitive cell types and will acquire skills in molecular biology techniques including Chromatin Immuno-precipitation (ChIP), quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR) and next generation sequencing (NGS).