Highly functional stem cell derived islets bring new possibilities for diabetes

Timo Otonkoski (Medical Stem Cell Research, University of Helsinki, Finland)

04 May 2023

Pratical info

12:00 - 13:00
Conference room Rosalind Franklin
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Reduced mobility access

Timo Otonkoski was trained as a Pediatric Endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital, University of Helsinki. His main clinical specialties are childhood diabetes and hypoglycemia. His research has focused on the growth and development of the pancreatic islets. He has also made important contributions in the field of congenital hyperinsulinism and other forms of genetic insulin secretory dysfunction. Lately, he has shifted his main area of interest into the use of human pluripotent stem cells and genome editing to study beta-cell pathophysiology. His group has made fundamental discoveries of the pluripotent reprogramming of human cells, developed novel approaches for controlling their differentiation, and used this approach successfully to elucidate mechanisms of beta-cell dysfunction. The Otonkoski group belongs to the Centre of Excellence in Stem Cell Metabolism of the Academy of Finland. Dr. Otonkoski received the Albert Renold Prize of the EASD in 2019 for outstanding achievements in research on the islets of Langerhans.

Timo Otonkoski is invited by Raphael Scharfmann.

Recent publications

  • Chandra V, Ibrahim H, Halliez C, Prasad R, Vecchio F, Dwivedi OP, Kvist J, Balboa D, Saarimäki-Vire J, Montaser H, Barsby T, Lithovius V, Artner I, Gopalakrishnan S, Groop L, Mallone R, Eizirik DL, Otonkoski T: The type 1 diabetes gene TYK2 regulates beta-cell development and its responses to interferon-alpha. Nat Commun. 2022 Oct 26;13(1):6363. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-34069-z.
  • Balboa D*, Barsby T*, Lithovius V*, Saarimäki-Vire J, Omar-Hmeadi M, Dyachok O, Montaser H, Lund PE, Yang M, Ibrahim H, Näätänen A, Chandra V, Vihinen H, Jokitalo E, Kvist J, Ustinov J, Nieminen AI, Kuuluvainen E, Hietakangas V, Katajisto P,  Lau J, Carlsson PO, Barg S, Tengholm A, Otonkoski T:  Functional, metabolic and transcriptional maturation of human pancreatic islets derived from stem cells. Nat Biotechnol. 2022 Mar 3. doi: 10.1038/s41587-022-01219-z.