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Dr. Doliba is a Research Professor and Technical Director of the Islet Cell Biology Core, which serves academic and industry partners in the functional characterization of pancreatic islets as part of the Diabetes Research Center at Penn's Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
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Dr. Doliba currently oversees the islet physiology arm of the Human Pancreas Analysis Program, the multi-institutional initiative to characterize the cellular and molecular events which lead to dysfunction in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. He develops bioenergetic methods to understand stimulus-secretion coupling and neuro-endocrine regulation, as well as their changes during diabetes mellitus. Together with his colleagues in the department, Dr. Doliba established the relationship between energy production and insulin secretion using novel phosphorescence methods for measuring oxygen consumption. In partnership with Hua Medicine, Dr. Doliba is studying the reparative effects of dorzagliatin, a novel antidiabetic drug that is currently in phase III clinical trials.
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Dr. Doliba’s research group focuses on the role of bioenergetics, ion transport and metabolic coupling factors in nutrient- and hormone-stimulated insulin and glucagon release in healthy and diabetic pancreatic islets. Ongoing projects include:
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1) Role of alpha cells in the pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes
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2) Mechanisms of beta cell glucose sensing
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3) Uncovering the role of G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) in insulin and glucagon secretion
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Selected Publications
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Jeff Roman, Yue Yuan, Yue Xu, Qiusha Zhu, Shaowen Wu, Fang Zhao, Xue Zhou, Shi Meng, Kim Sharp, Li Chen, Changhong Li, Nicolai M Doliba: A functional and mechanistic explanation for the unique clinical success of glucokinase activator dorzagliatin for treatment of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes 74(8): 1374-1384, Aug 1 2025.
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Liu Liu, Kimberley Ei, Diptadip Dattaroy, Luiz F Barella, Yinghong Cui, Sarah M Gray, Carla Guedikian, Min Chen, Lee S Weinstein, Emily Knuth, Erli Jin, Matthew J Merrins, Jeffrey Roman, Klaus H Kaestner, Nicolai Doliba, Jonathan E Campbell, Jürgen Wess: Intra-islet α-cell Gs signaling promotes glucagon release. Nature Communications 15(1): 1-17, Jul 2024.
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Doliba NM, Rozo AV, Roman J, Qin W, Traum D, Gao L, Liu J, Manduchi E, Liu C, Golson ML, Vahedi G, Naji A, Matschinsky FM, Atkinson MA, Powers AC, Brissova M, Kaestner KH, Stoffers DA; HPAP Consortium: α Cell dysfunction in islets from nondiabetic, glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibody-positive individuals. J Clin Invest 132(11): e156243, Jun 2022.
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Liu L, Dattaroy D, Simpson KF, Barella LF, Cui Y, Xiong Y, Jin J, König GM, Kostenis E, Roman JC, Kaestner KH, Doliba NM, Wess J: Gq signaling in α cells is critical for maintaining euglycemia. JCI Insight 6: e152852, Dec 2021.
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Zhu L, Rossi M, Cohen A, Pham J, Zheng H, Dattaroy D, Mukaibo T, Melvin JE, Langel JL, Hattar S, Matschinsky FM, Appella DH, Doliba NM, Wess J: Allosteric modulation of β-cell M(3) muscarinic acetylcholine receptors greatly improves glucose homeostasis in lean and obese mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 116: 18684-18690, Sep 2019.
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Zhu L, Dattaroy D, Pham J, Wang L, Barella LF, Cui Y, Wilkins KJ, Roth BL, Hochgeschwender U, Matschinsky FM, Kaestner KH, Doliba NM, Wess J: Intra-islet glucagon signaling is critical for maintaining glucose homeostasis. JCI Insight 5: e127994, Apr 2019.
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Matyshevsky O, Doliba N, Babsky A, Vatamaniuk M, Kachur A, Badjuk O: Scientific translation from english to ukrainian: Lehninger: principles of biochemistry. Fourth Edition Lehninger: Principles of Biochemistry. BaK, 4: 1-1256, 2016.
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Rossi M, RuizDeAzua I, Barella LF, Sakamoto W, Zhu L, Cui Y, Lu H, Rebholz H, Matschinsky FM, Doliba NM, Butcher AJ, Tobin AB, Wess J: CK2 acts as a potent negative regulator of receptor-mediated insulin release in vitro and in vivo. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112(49): E6818-24, Dec 2015.
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Doliba NM, Liu Q, Li C, Chen J, Chen P, Liu C, Frederick DW, Baur JA, Bennett MJ, Naji A, Matschinsky FM: Accumulation of 3-hydroxytetradecenoic acid: Cause or corollary of glucolipotoxic impairment of pancreatic β-cell bioenergetics? Molecular metabolism 4(12): 926-39, Dec 2015.
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Doliba NM, Wehrli SL, Vatamaniuk M, Qin W, Buettger CW, Collins HW, Matschinsky FM: Metabolic and ionic coupling factors in amino acid-stimulated insulin release in pancreatic beta-HC9 cells. American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology & Metabolism 292(6): E1507-19, Jun 2007.
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Doliba NM, Qin W, Najafi H, Liu C, Buettger CW, Sotiris J, Collins HW, Li C, Stanley CA, Wilson DF, Grimsby J, Sarabu R, Naji A, Matschinsky FM: Glucokinase activation repairs defective bioenergetics of islets of Langerhans isolated from type 2 diabetics. American journal of physiology 302(1): E87-E102, Jan 2012.
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Last updated: 05/19/2026
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