Welcome to the Chen Lab at the University of Saskatchewan!
We are a group of biomedical researchers passionate about understanding the cellular and physiological mechanisms of endocrine cell adaptation in the development of metabolic diseases. Our ultimate goal is to translate these knowledge into new therapies for patients with obesity or diabetes.
Peptide hormones
Cells translate DNA codes into peptide chains. Endocrine cells, such as beta cells in the pancreas, are particularly efficient at producing large quantities of small peptides, such as insulin, which can be released into the bloodstream to communicate with other organs (e.g., helping glucose enter cells to be used for energy).
Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when blood glucose levels are too high. There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). In T1D, the immune system mistakenly targets and destroys beta cells, resulting in a lack of insulin. Patients with T1D must take insulin every day to survive. In T2D, the body does not respond to insulin properly, and beta cells fail to produce sufficient insulin to compensate for this impaired response. Diabetes can also result from pregnancy (gestational diabetes), a single gene mutation (monogenic diabetes), or pancreatic damage related to pancreatitis or cystic fibrosis (cystic fibrosis-related diabetes).
Collaborative efforts in finding treatments for diabetes
Diabetes is is a complex condition. To find the cure for diabetes, researchers must adopt multidisciplinary strategies to discover innovative solutions. Our team contributes to this collective efforts by investigating the cellular and physiological adaptations in the pancreas and brain that occur prior to the development of diabetes.