School of Medicine
Showing 31-40 of 75 Results
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Jennifer Ikle
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Pediatrics - Endocrinology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsJen is interested in the genetic factors that lead to abnormal beta-cell function and insulin secretion, causing disorders such as hyperinsulinism and neonatal diabetes. Jen’s current research focus is the use of zebrafish models, combined with genetics and genomics, to understand cellular and molecular mechanisms of glucose metabolism and elucidate previously unknown players involved in the regulation of insulin secretion.
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Hyunkyung Claire Kim
Postdoctoral Scholar, Endocrinology and Metabolism
BioHyunkyung Claire Kim is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the Translational Genomics of Diabetes Lab led by Dr. Anna Gloyn. She received her PhD in Genetics from the University of Chicago, where she developed a statistical method to disentangle shared and trait-specific genetic architecture across complex diseases using large-scale biobank data. Prior to her doctoral training, she worked at Massachusetts General Hospital, studying the genetic subtypes and heterogeneity of type 2 diabetes through data-driven clustering approaches.
She is interested in the translational genomics of diabetes, including integrating human genetics with multi-omic data to uncover disease mechanisms and advance precision medicine. Her long-term research interests include developing computational methods to understand how genetic, molecular, and environmental factors jointly shape metabolic disease risk, disease heterogeneity, and progression. -
Seung K. Kim M.D., Ph.D.
KM Mulberry Professor, Professor of Developmental Biology, of Medicine (Endocrinology) and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics (Endocrinology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsPancreatic islets are essential for human health. We study the development and function of islet cells using modern methods in several model systems, including mice, pigs, human pancreas, primates, embryonic stem cells, and fruit flies. We have discovered critical factors required for islet development and mature islet cell function. These approaches have informed efforts to generate replacement islets, and provide immune protection of transplanted islets for diabetes.
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Rayhan A. Lal, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology) and of Pediatrics (Endocrinology)
BioI grew up in the east bay area and have had type 1 diabetes for 30+ years. I studied electrical engineering and computer science at U.C. Berkeley (Go Bears!) with the hope of applying my knowledge to diabetes technology. The significance of clinical practice became clear to me after my siblings also developed diabetes. I am devoting my life to advancing the care of diabetes in people of all ages.
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Yunkyeong Lee
Postdoctoral Scholar, Endocrinology and Metabolism
BioYun is a postdoctoral research scholar in the Translational Genomics of Diabetes Laboratory under the mentorship of Dr. Anna Gloyn. Since joining the lab in August 2022, she has been investigating type 2 diabetes (T2D) susceptible genes and their molecular mechanisms in pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and the development of T2D. Her primary focus is on how T2D effector transcripts alter autophagy/mitophagy pathways in human pancreatic β-cells, contributing to β-cell failure, mitochondrial dysfunction, and T2D pathology. She also investigated the impact of genetic mutations underlying neonatal diabetes using CRISPR HDR knockin genome editing in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) models and their derivatives.
During her PhD, she explored the role of an epigenetic regulator and its molecular machinery in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), now termed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). In parallel, she studied the interplay between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated unfolded protein response (UPR) signalling and autophagy, and examined how these processes are modulated by bioactive plant extracts in various cellular contexts.
She is particularly interested in exploring inter-organ communication, such as pancreas-liver crosstalk, and how these interactions influence systemic metabolism and contribute to the onset and progression of T2D, along with its complications. Her long-term research goal is to advance our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving T2D and to identify novel therapeutic targets and strategies.
