Midwest Islet Club 2026

Program Schedule

• 12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m. — Registration / Poster Set Up / Lunch
• 1:30 p.m.–1:40 p.m. — Welcome Remarks
• 1:40 p.m.–3:10 p.m. — SESSION 1: ENDOCRINE CELL SECRETION AND CALCIUM SIGNALING
  • 1:40 PM: Mark Keller (Attie Lab, UW-Madison) — Small Molecule Inhibitors of Hsp90ẞ Amplify Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion
  • 1:55 PM: Maryalice Hartley (Evans-Molina Lab, IU) — SERCA2 Regulates Sphingolipid Homeostasis and Insulin Secretion in Pancreatic Beta Cells
  • 2:10 PM: Juliana Norman (Vasquez Lab, Wheaton) — The Influence of Mechanical Stimuli on Islet Cell Function, Ca2+ Oscillations, and Cytoskeletal Architecture
  • 2:25 PM: Yu-Jin Youn (Alejandro Lab, University of Minnesota) — Mitochondrial Calcium Overload in Pancreatic Beta Cells Impairs Glucose Homeostasis in Mice
  • 2:40 PM: Anna Marie R. Schornack (Dean Lab, Vanderbilt) — Glutamine Metabolism Supports Glucagon Secretion and Alpha-Cell Mass
  • 2:55 PM: Sara Amini (Esni Lab, University of Pittsburgh) — Spontaneous Conversion of Acinar Cells into Endocrine Cells
• 3:10 p.m.–3:40 p.m. — Coffee Break
• 3:40 p.m.–5:10 p.m. — SESSION 2: DEVELOPMENT, STEM CELL MODELS, AND DIFFERENTIATION
  • 3:40 PM: Manuj Bandral (Lorberbaum Lab, U of Michigan) — From Pancreatic Bud to Stem Cell-Derived Islet: Revisiting SC-Islet Engineering
  • 3:55 PM: Enrique E. Sanchez Castro (Millman Lab, WashU) — A Predictive Multiomic Digital Twin of In Vitro Pancreatic Differentiation Reveals Regulators of Cell Fate Decisions
  • 4:10 PM: Luxin Ke (Yan Li Lab, Case Western) — RORC and SIX3 Define Modular Transcriptional Control of Human B-Cell Maturation
  • 4:25 PM: Tiana Salomon (Peterson Lab, Mayo Rochester) — Accessory Islet Stromal Cells Improve Stem Cell-Derived Beta-Cell Graft Survival
  • 4:40 PM: Deep Kapadia (Odorico Lab, UW-Madison) — Islet Vascularized Extracellular Matrix Organoids (IVEO) Improve Transplantation and Survivability of Islets
  • 4:55 PM: Abigail Taylor (Spaeth Lab, IU) — CHD3 and CHD4 Orchestrate Chromatin and Gene Expression Transitions in Endocrine Progenitors to Direct Islet-Cell Expansion and Differentiation
• 5:10 p.m.–5:25 p.m. — Coffee Break
• 5:25 p.m.–5:50 p.m. — Sorenson Lecture: Dr. Rachel Reinert (University of Michigan) — “Protein Quality Control Determines Pancreatic Islet Alpha Cell Function and Survival”
• 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. — Poster Session 1 (40%)
• 8:00 p.m.–?? — Optional outing to Memorial Union Terrace

• 8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m. — SESSION 3: SIGNALING THROUGH INFLAMMATION, NUTRIENTS, AND RHYTHMS
  • 8:30 AM: Lizabeth Johnson (Cha Lab, Vanderbilt) — Circadian Dysregulation of ẞ Cells by MafAS64F
  • 8:45 AM: Rodsy Modhurima (Kimple Lab, UW-Madison) — Loss of Gaz-Mediated Signaling Protects Beta Cell Identity and Prevents Progression of Obesity-Induced Diabetes
  • 9:00 AM: Jie Wu (Zong Wei Lab, Mayo Phoenix) — SIRT7 Protects ẞ Cells by Modulating the Epigenetic Effects of NAD+ and Vitamin D
  • 9:15 AM: Roberto Leon Gutierrez (Javeed Lab, Mayo Rochester) — Role of Circadian Regulation of Extracellular Vesicle Biogenesis and Secretion in Beta-Cell Biology
• 9:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m. — Coffee Break
• 9:45 a.m.–11:15 a.m. — Poster Session 2 (30%)
• 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. — SESSION 4: ATYPICAL DIABETES: BEYOND TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2
  • 11:15 AM: Zipeng Alex Li (Urano/Remedi Lab, WashU) — Leveraging Base Editing to Treat Wolfram Syndrome: A Monogenic Model of Diabetes, Neurodegeneration, and Optic Atrophy
  • 11:30 AM: Cyrus R. Sethna (Blum Lab, UW-Madison) — Beyond Gene Dosage: Multidimensional Islet Dysfunction in Down Syndrome-Related Type 2 Diabetes
  • 11:45 AM: Taofeek Usman (Dong Lab, U of Pittsburgh) — FoxO1 Mediates Prolactin Action on Beta-Cell Compensation During Pregnancy to Protect Against Gestational Diabetes
  • 12:00 PM: Alissa Hofmann (Kumar Lab, UW-Madison) — PFOS Impairs Insulin Secretion and Glucose Tolerance During Pregnancy via Reduced cAMP Production in Pancreatic Beta Cells
• 12:15 p.m.–12:45 p.m. — Lunch
• 12:45 p.m.–2:15 p.m. — Poster Session 3 (30%)
• 2:15 p.m.–3:45 p.m. — SESSION 5: THERAPEUTICS AND INTERVENTIONS FOR DIABETES MANAGEMENT
  • 2:15 PM: Samuel Saghafi (Davis Lab, UW-Madison) — Low-Protein Diet and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Augment Incretin Hormone Signaling in the Islet
  • 2:30 PM: Deborah Adepeju Ojo (Kwon Lab, SIU) — Effects of AdipoRon on ẞ-Cell Function and Survival Under Nutrient Overload
  • 2:45 PM: Julie Burkett (Gannon Lab, Vanderbilt) — Dual Modulation of EP3 and EP4 Mitigates Beta-Cell Senescence in a Mouse Model of Type 2 Diabetes
  • 3:00 PM: Jordyn Dobson (Jacobson Lab, Vanderbilt) — Identification of Selective and Potent TALK-1 Inhibitors That Promote Beta-Cell Function
  • 3:15 PM: Tatsuyoshi Kono (Kono Lab, IU) — A Multi-Fiber Prebiotic Strategy to Decrease Type 1 Diabetes Incidence and Modulate the Gut-Islet Axis
  • 3:30 PM: Armando Andres Puente (Tersey/Mirmira Lab, UChicago) — ODC Inhibition with DFMO Influences Gut Microbiota and Microbial Metabolites to Mitigate T1D
• 3:45 p.m.–4:00 p.m. — Coffee Break
• 4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. — SESSION 6: CYTOKINES, INFLAMMATION, AND AUTOIMMUNITY IN DIABETES
  • 4:00 PM: Joshua Nord (Smith Lab, MCW) — Selective BET Bromodomain Inhibition Disrupts HNF1A-Dependent Beta-Cell Gene Networks and Attenuates Inflammation
  • 4:15 PM: Tanasha Lertjanyarak (Cai/Kalwat Lab, IU) — Exploiting SDF2L1 to Protect Against Beta-Cell Death and Dysfunction in T1D
  • 4:30 PM: Katherine Harty (Corbett Lab, MCW) — STAT1 Signaling in Beta Cells Is Necessary for Protection Against Virus-Mediated Diabetes
  • 4:45 PM: Hanle Moon (Stancill Lab, MUSC) — Peroxiredoxins Regulate PTEN Oxidation and AKT Phosphorylation in ẞ Cells
  • 5:00 PM: Christopher Contreras (Templin Lab, IU) — Inhibitors of Apoptosis Proteins Negatively Regulate RIPK1 Kinase Activity to Limit Beta-Cell Death
  • 5:15 PM: Pavel Zakharov (Ravichandran Lab, WashU) — Efferocytosis by Islet Macrophages Suppresses Diabetic Autoimmunity

• 6:00 p.m.–6:15 p.m. — Oral and Poster Presentation Awards
• 6:15 p.m.–7:30 p.m. — Lacy Lecture & Dinner: Dr. Carmella Evans-Molina (Indiana University)
• 7:30 p.m.–~11:00 p.m. — Entertainment: Performance by “Bear With” band including our very own fellow islet biologist Brian Smith and dance party

• 7:30 am – optional walking tour of UW-Madison Campus – meet at Discovery Building outside Forum – led by Sam Saghafi and Michelle Kimple
• 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. — Optional Trainee and Faculty Breakfast

  • Special guests representing diverse careers in and out of academia

    Carly Kibbe, PhD – Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay – tenure-track faculty at predominantly undergraduate teaching university

    Justin Bushkofsky, PhD – Senior Manager Business Development, CELLSCRIPT, Madison, WI (biotech company developing RNA products for clinical and translational research)

    Michele Ravelli, PhD, MS, RDN – Director, Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry Core Lab, UW-Madison Biotechnnology Center

    Victoria Sutton,PhD, Senior Intellectual Property Manager at Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)

    Dena Cohen, PhD, ALM, Chief Scientific Officer, Regenerative Medical Solutions, Madison, WI (biotech company developing stem cell therapy for diabetes)- background in science communications and industry leadership)

Special Needs:

• Dietary restrictions will be collected during online registration process
• If you need childcare during the meeting, there is daily drop-in service available through Little Chicks Learning Academy at https://universitykids.org/non-traditional-program-hourly/ – we recommend making reservations early
• If you are breastfeeding/pumping, we will provide access to private rooms during meeting hours.
• Any other special needs, please reach out and let us know how we can help.

🏨 Lodging

Special group rates for Midwest Islet Club 2026:

• DoubleTree Hotel Downtown Madison – Midwest Islet Club 2026
• Union South – Midwest Islet Club 2026

Other nearby options:

• Hilton Garden Inn Downtown
• Hampton Inn and Suites

✈️ Airports & Shuttles

MSN – Dane County Regional (Madison)
The most convenient option. It is a ~15 minute cab ride to the event site and downtown hotels.

ORD – O’Hare International (Chicago)
Take the Van Galder Bus directly to the UW-Madison campus stop. It is recommended to buy tickets online ahead of time. Check the schedule and map for details.

MKE – Mitchell International (Milwaukee)
Approximately a 1.5-hour drive to Madison.

Sponsorship & Support

Lead Sponsor