Welcome to the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado.

John C. Hutton BSc, PhD
Director of Research Division
Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Cellular, Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Program Director, The Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center (DERC)
BioSketch
Program Director, BDC JDRF Autoimmunity Prevention Center

The laboratory has a broad interest in the molecular cell biology of insulin secretion with emphasis on the role of secretory granule proteins in organelle biogenesis, post-translational processing and regulation of exocytosis. Our focus on molecular mechanisms and cell-specific responses has a natural tie with the pathogenesis of type 1 and type 2 diabetes since many of the ß-cell associated genes and proteins we have identified (prohormone convertases 1 & 2, phogrin, Imogen 38, IGRP (G6PC2), and zinc transporter 8) are themselves implicated in islet dysfunction or autoimmune disease. Our recent genomic studies have broadened the horizon of such investigations and led to identification of physical and functional biomarkers of pancreatic islet cells through which we can address diverse translational goals such as the imaging of islet cell mass in diabetes, development on antigen-based immune tolerance protocols in human subjects and selection of islet progenitor cell that may be manipulated to achieve therapeutic beta-cell regeneration.

Islet Studies and Diabetes Pathogenesis Laboratory:

Principal Investigators:
John C. Hutton BSc, PhD, BDC Research Director, John.Hutton@ucdenver.edu
Howard W. Davidson PhD, Assistant Professor, Howard.Davidson@ucdenver.edu

Co-Investigators:
Suparna Sarkar MBBS PhD, Instructor, Suparna.Sarkar@ucdenver.edu

Instructor:
Jan Wenzlau PhD, Janet.Wenzlau@ucdenver.edu

Postdoctoral Fellows:
Pierre Pirot PhD
Xiaoyun Liu, MD

Professional Research Assistants:
Elizabeth Cheney, BA
Shirstine Gorton, BS
Anita Hobenstein, BS
Lisa Frisch, BS, MA
Catherine Lee BS

Laboratory Administrator:
Jay Walters, BS, Jay.Walters@ucdenver.edu

Personal Assistant:
Kathryn Gray, BFA, MA, Kathryn.Gray@ucdenver.edut