Scientific Purpose:

It is the purpose of this core to assist investigators who currently study or have plans to study independently or collaboratively various aspects of pancreatic islet cell biology. In order to accomplish this goal the Core provides four services:

• isolate, culture, and functionally assess pancreatic islets of rat and mouse including batch incubations, perifusions, respirometry, measurements of Ca i ++, the P-potential (ATP, ADP, AMP and P i) and other metabolites, hormone contents and release.

• Will perform extra corporal phenotyping of the endocrine pancreas of mouse and rat using the intact isolated perfused or minced perifused pancreas (both of these techniques to be fully established).

• maintains a broad and well characterized stock of transformed islet cells, grows large batches of such cells or generates pseudo islets by embedding such cells into agarose beads for dynamic studies of metabolism and hormone release.

• provides in depth consultation and helps develop strategies how to use the services of the core optimally or will attempt to modify available technologies to solve particular problems.

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