I obtained my PhD in Functional and Molecular Biology at University of Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. I received further training as an islet β-cell biologist in the laboratories of Prof Prentki (Post-doctoral Scientist, Montreal, Canada) and Prof Nolan (ANU, Australia). In my first postdoctoral position I performed key experiments in pancreatic islets of several rodent models and pancreatic β-cell lines resulting in the discovery of the islet β-cell glycerolipid/free fatty acid cycle, an essential component of the lipid amplification pathway of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. This work has resulted in papers in Cell Metabolism, Journal of Clinical Investigation and Diabetologia. The research has led to new targets for drug discovery in treatment for type 2 diabetes (patents active - Prentki laboratory). Since in Canberra in my second post-doctoral position, I continued to develop my skills in pancreatic islet research. I contributed with extensive experimental data to a major publication (equal first author) in Nature Genetic, describing the existence of pancreatic β-cell fragility in T1D and T2D mice models. I also completed extensive experimental work on a NHMRC funded project on the ‘Role of islet β-cell failure in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis’ investigating the role of insulin hypersecretion (manuscript under preparation). My extensive research training provided me with highly specialized skills in islet β-cell research, including in vivo metabolic physiology assessment in rodent models, islet isolation from mice and rats, in vitro insulin secretion studies and assessment of islet metabolism, pancreas and islet histological examination including immunohistochemistry and β-cell mass measurements, and ultra-structural examination by electron microscopy. I have also developed skills in gene expression analysis using various techniques, including high-throughput platforms.

BSc, MSc, PhD

My main areas of research are: 1) the identification of metabolic coupling factors involved in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion with a particular interest islet β-cell lipid metabolism and lipid signalling molecules, and 2) the investigation of the molecular and biochemical mechanisms involved in pancreatic islet β-cell adaptation and failure to different stressors in animal models.