Islet Biology and Diabetes: Beta Cell Compensation, Failure and Recovery (L5)
March 16-19, 2026
| Beaver Run Conference Center, Breckenridge, CO, United States
Olov Andersson, Barak Blum, Amelia K. Linnemann and Erica Nishimura
Scholarship Deadline: Nov. 19, 2025 | Abstract Deadline: Feb. 25, 2026 | Early Registration Deadline: Jan. 16, 2026
| 12:00–3:00 PM |
CU Anschutz Pre-Conference Workshop: Networking & Communication Skills (separate registration required) Learn more at: https://keysym.us/CUAnschutz26 |
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| 4:00–8:00 PM |
Registration |
3rd Floor Foyer |
| 6:00–8:00 PM |
Welcome Mixer |
3rd Floor Foyer |
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Summit Gallery |
| 8:00–8:10 AM |
Welcome Remarks (Joint) |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 8:10–9:00 AM |
Keynote Address (Joint) |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Daniel J. Drucker, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
Incretins all Over the Place |
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| 9:00–11:30 AM |
Future Therapeutics for Diabetes and Obesity (Joint) |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Alice E Adriaenssens, University College London
The Central GIPR Signaling Axis: New Insights, New Questions |
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Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, Novo Nordisk A/S
What GLP-1 Did and Did Not Do For People with Diabetes |
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Over Cabrera, Eli Lilly and Company
Islet-Targeting Therapies |
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Mark Esposito †, Kayothera INC
Short Talk: KAYO-1732, A 1st-In-Class Oral ALDH1a3 Inhibitor, Blocks Retinoid Nuclear Receptor Signaling To Regenerate Pancreatic β Cells And Reverse Type 2 Diabetes |
|
| 9:30–9:50 AM |
Coffee Break |
1st Floor Foyer |
| 11:30–12:30 PM |
Meet the Editors (Joint) |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 11:30–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Peak 1-3 |
| 12:30–2:00 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
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| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Peak 1-3 |
| 2:30–4:30 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 1: Emerging Technologies and Experimental Systems |
Colorado Ballroom |
| |
Jace Aloway †, CU Anschutz
Mapping m6A Modifications during Pancreas Development using Direct RNA Sequencing |
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Camila Lubaczeuski †, Fractyl Health
Single-Dose Beta-Cell-Restricted Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Gene Therapy Durably Improves Beta-Cell Function and Glycemic Control with Low Systemic Exposure |
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Peinan Hu †, Case Western Reserve University
Allele-Resolved 3D Multi-Omic Maps Reveal Genetic Control of β-Cell Chromatin Looping and Disease-Linked Regulatory Mechanisms |
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Zipeng Alex Li †, Washington University School of Medicine
Leveraging Base-editing to Treat Wolfram Syndrome: A Monogenic Model of Diabetes, Neurodegeneration, and Optic Atrophy |
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Olga Babosova †, CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Identification and Validation of Novel ARX Degraders |
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Ali H Shilleh †, University of Oxford
The Circulating Albuminoid Protein GC-globulin is an Allosteric Regulator of GLP-1 Receptor Signaling |
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Yasunori Aizawa †, Institute of Science Tokyo
Engineering Hypoimmunogenic and Functionally Enhanced iPSC-Derived β Cells Using a High-Precision Genome Writing Platform: Geno-Writing™ |
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Dan Hesselson †, Centenary Institute
Building Resilient Beta Cells by Directed Evolution of PDX1 |
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| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
3rd Floor Foyer |
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
Development, Stem Cells & Regeneration of beta Cells |
Colorado Ballroom |
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Heiko Lickert, Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration
Formation of Functional beta Cells from Progenitors |
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Olov Andersson, Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University
Beta Cell Differentiation and Regeneration in Zebrafish |
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Francesca M. Spagnoli, King’s College London
Genetics/Genomics of beta Cell Development and Regeneration |
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Sonja Schrepfer, Cedars-Sinai
Hypo-immune Pancreatic Islet Transplantation |
|
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Summit Gallery |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 1 |
Peak 1-3 |
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Summit Gallery |
| 7:05–8:00 AM |
Women in Science Networking Event, Sponsored by Amgen, Co-Organized by WIELD |
Summit Gallery |
| 8:00–11:00 AM |
Inter-Organ Communication (Joint) |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| |
Madina Sokolov, University of Miami
Peripheral Innervation in Energy Metabolism |
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Sarah Stanley, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
CNS Control of Blood Glucose |
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Hideki Katagiri, Tohoku University
Neural Regulation and Manipulation of Pancreatic Beta Cells |
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Yu Hsuan Carol Yang, University of Exeter Medical School
Role of Islet Innervation in Zebrafish |
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José Rivera-Feliciano †, Harvard University
Short Talk: Atollin, a Hormone Enabling Insulin-Independent Glucose Control |
|
| 9:00–9:20 AM |
Coffee Break |
1st Floor Foyer |
| 9:20–9:25 AM |
Award Recipient Acknowledgement |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 11:00–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Peak 1-3 |
| 11:00–5:00 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
|
| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Peak 1-3 |
| 1:30–3:15 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 2: Late-Breaking Research |
Colorado Ballroom |
| |
Jacob Enriquez †, University of Chicago
Messenger RNA Delivery to Islet β-cells using Functionalized Lipid Nanoparticles |
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Mohammad Ovais Azizzanjani †, Stanford University
Metabolic STAMP for Deciphering Mechanisms by which GPCRs Regulate Pancreatic β-cell Insulin Secretion |
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Nirmala Vasan Balasenthilkumaran †, University of California San Diego
How do α-cells Influence β-cell Function, and the Polarity of T-cell Infiltration during Early T1D? |
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Guy Rutter †, CRCHUM / University of Montreal
Exploration of Individual Beta Cell Function Over Time In Vivo: Effects of Hyperglycemia and Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor (GLP1R) Agonism |
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Carissa L Birznieks †, University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus
The Impact of Pancreatic Beta-Delta-Cell Gap Junction Coupling on Hormone Secretion and Glucose Homeostasis |
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Nadav Sharon †, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
An Autoantibody Produced in Insulitic Islets Reveals a Differential Response of Alpha and Beta Cells Towards Viruses |
|
| 3:30–4:30 PM |
Career Roundtable (Joint) |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
3rd Floor Foyer |
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
Overcoming Beta Cell Stress: A Roadmap to Resilience and Recovery |
Colorado Ballroom |
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Amelia K. Linnemann, Indiana University School of Medicine
Decoding the Acute Islet Stress Response: Insights into Long-Term Functional Outcomes |
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Peter J Thompson, University of Manitoba
Senescence and non-lethal stress in beta cells: mechanisms and targeting |
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Scott A. Soleimanpour, University of Michigan Medical School
Mitochondrial Quality Control in beta Cells |
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Abigael Cheruiyot †, Joslin Diabetes Center/Harvard Medical School
Short Talk: Sustained High Glucose Perturbs mRNA-specific Translation in Pancreatic Beta-cells |
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Sudipta Ashe †, UCSF
Short Talk: Forging Diabetes: The Critical Role of Iron-Glutathione Homeostasis in Beta Cell Development and Failure |
|
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Summit Gallery |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 2 |
Peak 1-3 |
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Summit Gallery |
| 8:00–11:00 AM |
Maturation and Aging of Islet Cells |
Colorado Ballroom |
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Barak Blum, University of Wisconsin
Development and Maturation of Islet Cells |
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Rafael Arrojo e Drigo, Vanderbilt University
Islet Cell Homeostasis and Longevity |
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Hongkui Deng, Peking University
Chemical Reprogramming of Human Somatic Cells & Functional Maturation of Stem Cell-Derived Islets |
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Esra Karakose †, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Short Talk: Understanding the Mechanisms of Human Beta Cell Replication Using Insulinoma as a Model |
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Jeeyeon Cha †, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Short Talk: Genetic Background Influences the Phenotypic Penetrance in Male Mice Modeling MAFAS64F MODY |
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Michael Schleh †, Vanderbilt University
Short Talk: Alpha Cell Inflammation is a Hallmark of Islet Aging that is Reversed by Calorie Restriction |
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Akos Gerencser †, Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Short Talk: Mitochondrial Metabolic Alterations in Human Pancreatic β-cells in Type 2 Diabetes and in Aging |
|
| 9:00–9:20 AM |
Coffee Break |
3rd Floor Foyer |
| 11:00–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Peak 1-3 |
| 11:00–5:00 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
|
| 1:00–2:00 PM |
Perspectives: Personalized Medicine & Patient-Centered Strategies (joint) |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Anne Gresch †, University of Colorado Denver
Sex-Specific Beta-Cell Heterogeneity and Stress Response in Type 2 Diabetes Development |
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Ha T Vu †, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
PanKbase Integrated Single-Cell Map: A Resource for Human Pancreatic Islet and Beta Cell Biology with New Insights into Diabetes |
|
| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Peak 1-3 |
| 2:30–4:30 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 3: Human Islet Biology: Translating Discovery into Innovation (joint with HIRN) |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| |
* Erica Nishimura, Novo Nordisk A/S
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Jordan Wright †, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Multimodal Analysis of Data from the Human Pancreas Analysis Program Reveals Heterogeneity in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes |
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Austin Stis †, University of Florida
GABA Biosensing Cell Array Reveals Temporal GABA Secretion Dynamics from Beta Cells |
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Sam Preza †, University of Pennsylvania
DEC1 Regulates Human β Cell Functional Maturation and Circadian Rhythm |
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Isabella Altilio †, University of Miami
Spatial Transcriptomic Analysis of Ductal Remodeling in Pancreatic Samples from Type 1 Diabetic, Autoantibody-positive, and Non-diabetic Donors |
|
| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
3rd Floor Foyer |
| 5:00–6:45 PM |
Genomics & DNA/RNA Modifications in Diabetes |
Colorado Ballroom |
| |
J. A Pospisilik, Van Andel Institute
Epigenetic Identification of beta Cell Subtypes |
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Rohit N Kulkarni, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School
RNA Biology and beta Cell Preservation |
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Lori Sussel, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
RNA Modifications and Types in beta Cells |
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Ailsa MacCalman †, University of Exeter
Short Talk: Epitranscriptomic Regulation of the Developing Human Pancreas |
|
| 6:45–7:00 PM |
Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions |
Colorado Ballroom |
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Summit Gallery |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 3 |
Peak 1-3 |
