Chera group
Our research is directed at which cell fate mechanisms govern the type of regenerative strategy employed by a biological system.
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Group leader: Simona Chera
We primarily use as model system the murine pancreas due to the wide-range of genetic tools available for this organ and its demonstrated cell plasticity potential. Besides employing classical systems of rapid cell-ablation (RIP-DTR, chemical ablation), we developed novel transgenic models of progressive β-cell decay (financed by Excellence Project for Young Investigators of Novo Nordisk Foundation). By coupling the diverse β-cell ablation configurations with genetic cell tracing, timed conditional gene expression and diverse omics assays, we study the dynamical molecular fingerprint of β-cell death and the regenerative response employed, with focus on β-cell self-renewal potential (financed by FRIPRO Young Research Talent grant – Research Council of Norway). Moreover, we address the role of senescence-based cell-plasticity breaks on β-cell regeneration potential (proliferation-based) and modulate the age-related switch leading to β-cell quiescence by using genetic and pharmacological tools (financed by Excellence Project for Young Investigators of Novo Nordisk Foundation).
Read more at our web page here.
