Research / Clinical Summary

Steven Chessler, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Medicine Hematologic Malignancies Program Contact by Email

Dr. Chessler's laboratory is interested in the cell and molecular biology of the insulin-producing pancreatic islets and in the cellular events that cause islet damage and dysfunction.

Islet cells resemble neurons at the cellular and molecular level in a variety of different ways. The laboratory's research focuses on a set of proteins and structural features shared by islets and neurons. Currently, Dr. Chessler is investigating the biogenesis, trafficking and function of a group of islet proteins and vesicle types that, in the central nervous system, play key roles in neurotransmission. He is exploring the potential of some of these proteins to serve as biomarkers of islet or neuronal damage. It is hypothesized that such biomarkers would provide a valuable means by which to track tissue damage during diabetes or cancer therapy, or could be used to detect and monitor endocrine or central nervous system tumors.

Dr. Chessler's laboratory has also identified a class of neuronal cell-surface proteins expressed on the surface of islet cells. He will be investigating whether these proteins can serve as imaging targets for in vivo monitoring of islet mass by generating radioisotope-labeled antibodies to these proteins and asking whether they specifically bind to pancreatic islets. Dr. Chessler believes that these antibodies will be useful for targeting endocrine cancers such as insulinomas for imaging or treatment.

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