Laura Mueller

Role: PhD Student

Nationality: German

Research Project Title: Study of mutations in monogenic diabetes affecting pancreatic β-cell development

Core Expertise: iPSCs, CRISPR/Cas9, diabetes

I graduated from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in Texas with a master’s in molecular biology. During my thesis I analysed the suitability of a lyophilized bone marrow-derived extracellular matrix preparation as substrate for the in vitro expansion of mouse mesenchymal stem cells.

Fascinated by intrinsic and extrinsic cues that play a role in cell fate decisions and cell function, I joined Francesca’s lab as a PhD student in 2016. Currently, I’m investigating the function of novel identified gene candidates and mutations in monogenic diabetes patients during pancreatic β-cell development. For this purpose, I’m combining human induced pluripotent stem cell differentiation with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing.