Simona Chera says: “Diabetes is a group of diseases defined by chronically elevated blood glucose caused by the inability of the body to produce/use sufficient insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreatic islet by b-cells. Accordingly, b-cell decay is a key factor in diabetes development. Yet, the situation is far more complex, with the most prevalent versions of diabetes resulting from an interaction between the genetic and environmental factors. We uncovered the involvement of a non-b islet cell population in the development of a monogenic diabetes disorder. Here we plan to control the size and function of this population in order to ameliorate glucose control in mouse and humans suffering from this condition. Moreover, we want to investigate its involvement in the aetiology of complex diabetes types. To our knowledge this is the first time this cell type is targeted as a treatment for monogenic diabetes, being potentially a novel therapeutic target.”