Science Café | The Impact of Cisplatin on Diabetes Risk and Beta Cell Function2 – 3 p.m. | Feb. 15 | Virtual Event In healthy individuals, a hormone called insulin controls blood sugar levels. Insulin is produced by specialized cells in the pancreas known as beta cells. For people living with Type 2 diabetes, they are unable to produce or use enough insulin to regulate their blood sugar levels, leading to severe health complications. Currently, over 460 million people are living with Type 2 diabetes. Cancer survivors are at an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to the general population, but the link between cancer treatment and diabetes progression has yet to be elucidated. The Bruin Lab has shown that exposure to cisplatin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent, impairs beta cell function and insulin secretion. In this talk, Lahari Basu, PhD candidate in the Bruin Lab will discuss how understanding the long-term metabolic consequences of chemotherapy will allow for the development of targeted treatment plans to better protect beta cell function and reduce diabetes risk in cancer survivors. |