Researcher Spotlight: Sushobhana Bandyopadhyay, PhD
Date Posted: Wednesday, March 03, 2021In the following video Dr. Bandyopadhyay explains how the Brehm Lab is using human cells to better understand the autoimmune attack that occurs in people with T1D
Dr. Bandyopadhyay earned her PhD in biochemistry researching the various phases of cell cycles. She moved to the United States from India in 2016 for a postdoc position at UMass Chan Medical School in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology.
“Towards the end of my project studying the interaction between protein kinase and substrates, I realized I wanted to get involved with translational research that could eventually lead to pre-clinical studies,” Dr. Bandyopadhyay said. “That’s when I learned about the opening in the Brehm lab in the UMass Diabetes Center of Excellence, and the immunology research they were doing studying human cells in their ‘humanized’ mouse models.”
“We transplant stem cell-derived pancreatic cells and immune cells into our humanized mice, and we hope to learn for the very first first time, how, when and where the autoimmune process occurs in people with type 1 diabetes,” said Michael Brehm, PhD, The Robert and Sandra Glass Term Chair in Diabetes, Associate Professor, Program in Molecular Medicine and Co-Director of the Humanized Mouse Core Facility at UMass Chan Medical School.
Scientists first cured diabetes in mice in the 1970’s, however, that success in rodents hasn’t translated to human type 1 diabetes. “The humanized mice studies in the Brehm lab are very exciting and they were one of the most attractive parts of this postdoc position for me,” said Dr. Bandyopadhyay. “Not until we achieve successful therapies to stop the autoimmune process in these animals, will we be able to progress to the clinic to help patients.”
In April 2022, Dr. Bandyopadhyay joined the Gene Therapy Program at University of Pennsylvania and we wish her continued success!
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Modeling Type 1 Diabetes Using Human Stem Cells in the Brehm and Greiner Labs