Determining the Kinetics of Self-assembly of Islet Amyloid Polypeptide in Type 2 Diabetes

The intern will be conducting experiments to gather real-time data on the formation of toxic fibrous proteins that occur as part of the disease process in type 2 diabetes. These experiments will be carried out at BC Children’s Hospital in vitro for various concentrations of protein precursor to study the kinetics of assembly of the polymer with and without “seeding” of the reaction with preformed fibrils. This data will then be analyzed using mathematical modeling techniques to discover the key steps in the formation and growth of the toxic fibers. The team hopes to learn more about the kinetics of these proteins so that therapeutic measures can be suggested.

Faculty Supervisor:

Drs. Leah Keshet & Daniel Coombs

Student:

James Bailey

Partner:

BC Children's Hospital

Discipline:

Mathematics

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

University of British Columbia