ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL PHENOTYPING OF PANCREATIC ISLETS USING THE BIOREP PERIFUSION SYSTEM V5

PROJECT SUMMARY Perifusion is the gold standard for physiological assessment of islets of Langerhans, the functional units of the pancreas consisting of various endocrine cell types such as -cells which secrete insulin, -cells which secrete glucagon, and -cells which secrete somatostatin. The Islet Cell Biology Core (ICBC) at the University of Pennsylvania, established in 1997, is a resource that provides functional phenotyping of islets for NIH-funded investigators both locally and throughout the nation. Perifusion is a cornerstone service of the ICBC that offers users dynamic measurements of insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin secretion from isolated islets in response to various secretagogues. Recently, Biorep released the PERI5, a state-of-the-art perifusion system combining the latest technological advancements in protocol capability, throughput, reproducibility, and usability. The main feature of the PERI5 is a disposable 12x12 microfluidic manifold which allows for parallel perifusion of up to 12 independent perifusion chambers, representing a significant improvement in the technology that promises greater reliability and reproducibility of perifusion experiments. The ICBC is well-positioned to leverage the PERI5 system to provide the highest quality perifusion data to the diabetes research community at the University of Pennsylvania and across the United States, in line with the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine's mission to “advance knowledge and improve health through research.”