Pre-defense of the thesis by B. Alzhanuly

November 22, 2024, was held the pre-defense of the thesis of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Alzhanuly Bakhytzhan on the theme «Development of a cell therapy approach for diabetes by engineering tunable insulin production in β-cells» on specialty 6D060700 – «Biology».

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most challenging medico-social problems with a heavy burden on the healthcare system. The disease is characterized by elevated blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), which develops due to a complete lack of insulin in the body (type 1 diabetes), or due to the development of the state of “insulin resistance” or insulin deficiency (type 2 diabetes). In the course of the research new fundamental knowledge was obtained on cell biology of HEK 293 human cells as well as on the biology of H1 stem cells. These findings hold significant theoretical knowledge in further understanding the behavior of these cells in studies using genome-editing technology. From a practical point of view, the study revealed the possibility of developing a new potential approach of cell therapy for type I diabetes based on genome editing technology.

The thesis also examines the aspects of the 3 sustainable development goals (SDG), «Good Health and Well-being».

We congratulate Alzhanuly Bakhytzhan on a successful preliminary defence and wish her a successful defence in the future!