Sanjay Kansra, PhD Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics 8701 Watertown Plank Rd Milwaukee, WI 53226
Phone: (414) 456-4906 Fax: (414) 456-6663 Email: skansra@mcw.edu
Education:
Ph.D. University of Missouri-Columbia, 1995
Research Area:
Regulation of pancreatic beta cell survival by estrogen
Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that results in the destruction of insulin secreting pancreatic b-cells, resulting in the life-long dependence on exogenous insulin. Islet cell invading macrophages and leukocytes release cytokines that orchestrate pancreatic b-cell death. Cell culture models as well as islets isolated from rodents and humans demonstrate the ability of interleukin 1b (IL-1b), either by itself or in combination with interferon g (INFg) and tumor necrosis factor a (TNFa), to decrease pancreatic b-cell viability. There are several lines of evidence to suggest that the female sex hormone estrogen (E2) has an anti-diabetogenic effect. Our current efforts are focused on examining the signal cross-talk between estrogen receptor and cytokine activated signaling pathways, and its impact on pancreatic b-cell survival.
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