In healthy individuals, a hormone called insulin controls blood sugar levels. Insulin is produced by specialized cells in the pancreas known as beta cells. For people living with Type 2 diabetes, they are unable to produce or use enough insulin to regulate their blood sugar levels, leading to severe health complications. Currently, over 460 million people are living with Type 2 diabetes. Cancer survivors are at an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to the general population, but the link between cancer treatment and diabetes progression has yet to be elucidated. The Bruin Lab has shown that exposure to cisplatin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent, impairs beta cell function and insulin secretion. Understanding the long-term metabolic consequences of chemotherapy will allow for the development of targeted treatment plans to better protect beta cell function and reduce diabetes risk in cancer survivors.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Headshot of Lahari BasuLahari Basu is a PhD candidate in the Bruin Lab at Carleton University. Lahari completed her Honours Bachelor of Science at the University of Western Ontario in 2021. Her studies focused on various aspects of genetics, developmental biology, and ecology. Lahari joined the Bruin Lab in September 2021 to study the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on beta cell function. This project was recently recognized and funded by a research grant from Diabetes Canada. Lahari is also funded by a scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Collaborative Research and Training Experience (NSERC-CREATE) program through the Canadian Islet Research and Training Network (CIRTN) for her doctoral research.

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