Dror Server - Regenerative capacity and cellular plasticity of pancreatic progenitors

A mechanistic understanding of organ regeneration is fundamental for developing tissue replacement therapies with which to treat injury or disease. With the overarching goal of understanding the regenerative capacity and cellular plasticity of the developing pancreas, I aim to explore the extent of tissue recovery, revealing the origin of the regenerating pancreatic cells and analyzing the signaling pathways involved in this process.

Specifically, I will employ two different ablation approaches which will be implemented independently on transgenic mouse strains enabling lineage tracing of pancreatic progenitor cells (PPCs). I will also exploit innovative, live imaging methods to monitor the healing process with a cellular resolution.

Together, these approaches will serve as a solid platform for identifying genes and signaling pathways affecting PPC regeneration and plasticity, which will inform new strategies for regenerating -cells to treat type I diabetes.