Alejandro Caicedo, PHD

EDUCATION:

 Postdoctoral fellowship: University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

 Ph.D.: University of Montpellier I.

 Biologie-Diplom: University of Tubingen, Germany.

Biography

Research Interests

Originally trained in sensory neurobiology (Caicedo and Roper, 2001, Science), I am now investigating the physiology of the pancreatic islet of Langerhans. My laboratory is interested in creating new experimental models to advance knowledge beyond its current limits. A major goal is to understand how hormone secretion from the pancreatic islet is orchestrated to regulate glucose homeostasis. Our recent focus has been to figure out how the islet is controlled by the autonomic nervous system (Rodriguez-Diaz et al., 2011, Nature Medicine; Rodriguez-Diaz et al., 2011, Cell Metabolism). Because investigating islets in the organism is very challenging, we have developed novel techniques to visualize islet structure and function in vivo (Speier et al., 2008, Nature Medicine; Rodriguez-Diaz et al., 2012, PNAS; Almaça et al, PNAS, in press). Armed with these tools, our findings are changing current models about autonomic and paracrine control of insulin secretion and will contribute to our understanding of how islet function fails during the natural history of diabetes.