Maren Dietrich

University Hospital Zurich
Maren Dietrich
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition
Lab C 41
Rämistrasse 100
8091 Zurich
SWITZERLAND

Phone: +41 44 255 22 92
E-Mail: 

MY PROJECT

The capacity of the pancreas to produce insulin can increase via enhanced proliferation, cellular growth and reduced death of β-cells. Sufficiently high production of insulin can prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes in the face of insulin resistance.

Protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt is a global regulator of growth, proliferation, and survival and was implicated to play a major role in the regulation of pancreatic islet mass. All three isoforms of PKB are expressed in pancreatic β-cells: PKBα/Akt1; PKBβ/Akt2 and PKBγ/Akt3.

The aim of my project is to determine how the three isoforms of PKB/Akt are regulated in β cells and what roles they play in the control of islet mass and functions such as glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and insulin production.

I am a member of the Markus Niessen group.