Research groups
Colleges
Matthew Lloyd
DPhil Student
My project aims to improve our understanding of how dysregulation of pancreatic beta cell metabolism impairs insulin secretion. Although pancreatic islets do not normally store glycogen, chronic hyperglycaemia has been shown to cause substantial accumulation of glycogen in the beta cell, with effects on beta cell function that are not fully understood. I intend to determine if such glycogen storage is toxic to the beta cell, and how it may be related to increased cell death, ER stress and defective autophagy. My work will contribute to a mechanistic understanding of why beta cells eventually fail in type II diabetes.