Philip Diiorio Email and Phone Number

I am an expert in the cellular, genetic, & metabolic mechanisms of organ growth. My technical skills & knowledge of human biology allow me to synthesize observations & methodologies from across diverse fields into innovative lines of investigation. My goal is to join a highly collaborative & interactive research group where I can maximize my contributions to discovery & development of human therapeutics for diabetes, autoimmunity, immune surveillance, & cancer. I led my independent research group to successfully interrogate the mechanisms of beta cell differentiation, growth & maturation in multiple in vivo, ex vivo & in vitro models. To do this I & my team developed novel assays & methods to catalog human, fetal beta cell microRNAs & mRNAs using multiple molecular techniques including NextGen sequencing. I am especially intrigued by the potential of microRNAs as therapeutic targets, as they are "druggable" by "antagomirs", which we have used (as morpholinos, sponges) to suppress miR activities in vivo and in vitro. I have integrated the strengths of in vivo models (zebrafish, humanized mice bearing human tissue grafts), human tissue explants; primary, transformed & engineered cell lines. We have also devised, optimized & validated assays (in multiple formats) to measure changes in mRNA, microRNA, & protein expression. Additionally, we have developed assays for diabetes-susceptibility SNPs & for antibodies used in in vivo imaging.From my NextGen data, I have identified signaling pathways enriched in adult vs fetal human beta cells including 32 miRNAs involved in tumor suppression, proliferation, EMT, & tumor-like metabolism, suggesting that regulated, oncogenic processes are active in the early embryonic epithelium. We are eager to undertake mechanistic studies of these miRNAs with the goal of identifying specific signaling pathways that may be exploited to enhance the therapeutic potential of human beta cell transplantation.