Jia Nie, PhD

Effect of Aging and mTOR Inhibition on Islet Cell Molecular Profiling

Aging is associated with metabolic changes that contribute to a high incidence of metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes. The pancreatic islet plays a pivotal role in regulating the progression of the age-related diseases. Dr. Nie seeks to determine whether improving the pancreatic islet function can lower the prevalence of metabolic diseases in older adults. She will study whether mTOR inhibition, an intervention that is known to slow down certain aging processes, can also slow the aging of the pancreatic islets.