Premise:
We study how the immune system and metabolism interact to regulate glucose levels and drive diseases like diabetes. When cells can’t properly take in or release glucose, it disrupts energy balance and leads to serious health conditions. In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks insulin-producing beta cells. In Type 2 diabetes, often linked to obesity, cells become resistant to insulin. Despite decades of research and growing treatment options, there’s still no cure, and the key molecular pathways remain poorly understood. Our lab is working to uncover the immunometabolic mechanisms behind diabetes and metabolic dysfunction, with the goal of identifying new therapeutic targets. We are always looking for motivated undergraduate and graduate students who are excited to explore the biology of disease, contribute to impactful research, and grow as independent scientists in a supportive and collaborative environment.
Undergraduate Students’ Project:
Title: Identifying Candidate Genes Involved in Impaired Immunometabolic Responses
This project offers undergraduate students immersive, hands-on training in genetic, proteomic, and cellular techniques while reinforcing concepts from their coursework. Our goal is to prepare students with the skills and experience needed for successful admission into competitive PhD programs and biomedical careers. Students will analyze single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets from mouse models of type 1 diabetes (non-obese, autoimmune-driven) and type 2 diabetes (diet-induced, obesity-driven) to identify genes that are differentially expressed and potentially involved in chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, or disease progression. Selected candidate genes will then be studied using a range of molecular and cellular techniques including qPCR, western blotting, cell culture, RNA interference (RNAi), ELISA, flow cytometry, and fluorescence/brightfield microscopy.
Project outcomes may include poster presentations at internal and national scientific conferences, co-authorship on manuscripts, and the foundation for long-term projects within the lab.
Graduate Students’ Projects:
Title: Dissecting Immunometabolic Pathways in Diet-Induced Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
Obesity has risen steadily over the past decade and is now recognized as a major public health challenge. It can manifest as either metabolically healthy or unhealthy obesity—the latter characterized by adipocyte hypertrophy, impaired adipocyte proliferation, immune cell infiltration (particularly macrophages), heightened inflammation, and fibrotic collagen deposition. These features drive adipose tissue dysfunction, ectopic lipid accumulation, and increased risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, and certain cancers. Although immune-adipose interactions—particularly involving myeloid cells and inflammatory signaling—have been described, the molecular mechanisms driving these immunometabolic changes remain poorly understood. This project is ideal for incoming graduate students interested in unraveling the signaling pathways underlying obesity-driven metabolic dysfunction and T2D. Students will investigate genes of interest using conditional knockout (cKO) models created via lentiviral gene silencing or transgenic breeding strategies.
Experimental approaches will include:
-
In vivo metabolic assessments: body weight monitoring, glucose and insulin tolerance tests, energy expenditure analysis, and body composition using DEXA.
-
Tissue-level studies: adipose and immune cell isolation and culture to assess cell-specific functions and inflammatory profiles.
-
Molecular and cellular readouts: Luminex multiplex cytokine assays, flow cytometry, qPCR, western blotting, and fluorescence microscopy.
This project offers opportunities for high-impact research, potential publications, and skill development in both basic and translational immunometabolism.
Title: Engineering Immune-Compatible Islets in Scalable Encapsulation Platforms for Type 1 Diabetes Therapy
This project is part of a multidisciplinary initiative to develop next-generation biomaterial platforms that support long-term islet engraftment, function, and immune tolerance in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Building on our published work demonstrating that biomaterial-encapsulated islets can reverse hyperglycemia in diabetic mice, we now integrate biomaterials engineering, genome editing, and precision immunotherapy to overcome the primary barriers to successful islet replacement.
Graduate students will have the opportunity to contribute to one or more of the following project areas:
-
ECM-Engineered Biomaterials for Islet Support
Students will work with our tunable hydrogel system (“Dazhi-gel”) to test how variations in stiffness and extracellular matrix (ECM) composition affect islet viability, insulin secretion, and resilience to immune and metabolic stress. Experimental approaches include 3D biomaterial fabrication, live/dead and functional islet assays, and molecular profiling (RNA-seq, proteomics) to uncover material-induced signaling pathways. -
MHC Matching via Genome Engineering
Using CRISPR/Cas9, students will engineer donor or iPSC-derived islets to express recipient-specific MHC class I molecules to reduce alloimmune responses. This portion of the project involves cell culture, viral transduction, flow cytometry, and functional co-culture assays to assess immune recognition and compatibility. -
CAR-Treg Immunotherapy for Islet Grafts
Students will help generate and test CAR-engineered regulatory T cells (CAR-Tregs) that specifically suppress immune activation at the graft site. In vitro suppression assays, cytokine profiling, and in vivo mouse models will be used to evaluate the impact of CAR-Tregs on islet survival and graft tolerance.
This project is ideal for graduate students interested in immunoengineering, regenerative medicine, or diabetes therapeutics. Trainees will receive interdisciplinary training at the interface of bioengineering, immunology, and stem cell biology, and will have the opportunity to present at national conferences and contribute to peer-reviewed publications.
