Juan Domínguez‑Bendala Research Group

University of Miami

Can stem cell differentiation and organotypic pancreatic cultures produce functional insulin‑producing beta cells for type 1 diabetes treatment? The Domínguez‑Bendala Lab develops regenerative strategies including stem cell differentiation into insulin‑producing β‑cells and islet regeneration. The team discovered molecular oxygen’s instructive role to drive β‑cell differentiation and patented enhanced oxygenation culture devices for stem cell cultures. They developed genetic fail‑safe approaches to increase safety of pluripotent stem cell transplantation. The group uses lineage tracing, single‑cell RNAseq, sorted population transplantation, and human pancreatic slice organotypic culture to monitor and test β‑cell regeneration.