Lab Interests:
Gaisano lab focuses on SNARE proteins’ regulation of exocytosis in pancreatic beta and acinar cells, elucidating how their dysregulated exocytosis underlie T2D insulin secretory defects and pancreatitis, respectively. His lab pioneered the thinking that SNARE proteins directly bind and regulate membrane depolarizing (KATP) and repolarizing (Kv) potassium channels that control beta-cell excitability to regulate secretion. Current projects include investigating the role of glucagon-secreting alpha-cell and islet paracrine control and their dysfunction that underlie T1D islet dysfunction. Secondly, we are studying the role of intestinal microbiome in metabolic syndrome.