Dr. Kravets, Vira
Department of Bioengineering
University of California, San Diego
Seminar Information
With this study, Dr. Kravets and her team is testing hypotheses that a) subpopulations of insulin-producing β-cells (1st responder β-cells) drive response to glucose, and b) immune cells in Type 1 Diabetes may be preferentially interacting with 1st responder β-cells. The studies utilize transgenic mice models, human tissue samples, and in-silico models of pancreatic islets. Dr. Kravets examined the interplay among α-, β-, T-cells, and macrophages in pancreatic islets during the progression of insulitis. Imaging pancreatic slices enables analysis of networks for cell interactions. Proximity of immune cells to α- and β-cells can be quantified at different stages of insuitis. In the early stage, macrophages preferentially interact with α-cells, and primarily with α-linked β-cells. The same trend is observed for T cells. The trend diminishes in the intermediate stage and is lost in the lates stage of insulitis. Overall, the findings indicate dynamic changes in cell interactions during the progression of insulitis and shine new light on the development and progression of autoimmune diabetes.
Dr. Vira Kravets obtained her Ms. Sci in Physics, with specialty “Photonics” from the Kyiv National University of Ukraine. She then moved to Colorado, USA to obtain her Ph.D. in Physics. Her thesis focused on Plasmonic nano materials for bioimaging and biosensing applications. As a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado, Dr. Kravets applied her knowledge of optics, spectroscopy, and computational modelling to study the function of living pancreatic tissue from healthy and diabetic donors. Dr. Kravets studied the role of heterogeneity of the insulin-producing cells in the formation of the neuro-endocrine networks in pancreatic islets. She discovered a “first-responder” cell population, which drives micro-organs’ response to blood glucose. Dr. Kravets is a recipient of career awards from Burroughs Wellcome Fund: “Careers at Scientific Interfaces,” as well as from NIH (NIDDK): “Emerging Leaders in Type 1 Diabetes”.