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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Learn about the essential role of delta cell paracrine signaling in beta cell function and its implications for health and #diabetes. See you in New Orleans! #ADA26 @amdiabetesassn.bsky.social @uthealthhouston.bsky.social #isletbiology #insulin #glucose

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

I am excited to speak at this week's #ADASciSessions Ask The Expert: It’s Not Up for Debate: Paracrine Signaling Is Critical in Shaping Insulin Secretion on Sat. June 6 at 3:15 pm, Room 356. www.adameetingnews.org/presenter-pr...

adameetingnews.org

Presenter Profile: The Contribution(s) of the Delta Cell - ADA Meeting News

Aaron Cox, PhD, previews a presentation at the 2026 Scientific Sessions. Attendees in New Orleans can watch the session in-person Saturday, June 6, at 3:15 p.m. CT.

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Congratulations Mariana J García, MBE on a successful thesis proposal defense! Now officially a PhD candidate! Excited to see your final thesis work #T1D #islets #stemcells #IMM UTHealth Houston Rice University

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Excited to host William Terrell, PhD for his visit to UTHealth Houston #IMM. Looking forward to an exciting seminar on the differentiation and co-culture of autonomic neurons and cardiac myocytes. #stemcells #hearthealth #metabolicdiseases #postdoc

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Super happy for Madigan Snyder, Ph.D. and proud of her. A great accomplishment and recognition of all her hard work this past year. Well-deserved!! #PostDocStar The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) #IMM #mitopower #T1D #isletbiology

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Mariana García is a very happy trainee today! Officially made her first stem cell-derived islets! She has persisted through many hurdles to reach this stage and is now poised to perfect the process and extend her PhD studies. Great job! UTHealth Houston #IMM Rice University Bioengineering

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

Great time at my 1st Midwest Islet Club Meeting #MIC Indiana University Impressive science from talented trainees with wonderful thought provoking lectures from the Paul Lacey Medal Awardee Al Powers and Bob Sorenson Young Investigator Awardee Jing Hughes #heterogeneity #diversity #isletbiology

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Check out my talk this afternoon where I’ll share our latest work! #isletbiology #metabolism #IMM The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston)

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Wishing Tanyel all the best as she takes the next step in her career and heads back across the pond. Thanks for helping grow the lab and pushing our efforts forward! #IMM #UTHealthHouston

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Importantly there is a deficiency in basic science translation and clinical studies including women or female pre-clinical models #InclusionMatters. Everyone equally deserves breakthrough medications treatments and cures for illnesses. It all begins with NIH funded basic science to study diversity

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Ultimately, we propose a coordinated transcriptional mechanism involving Xbp1 and Myc to alleviate UPR and stimulate beta cell proliferation in obese female mice

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

We unify independent observations of UPR (Laura Alonso @JimJohnsonSci Jesper Gromada) and Myc (Vincent Poitout Adolfo Garcia Ocaña Donald Scott Andy Stewart) regulated beta cell proliferation, while identifying novel aspects of stress attenuation and Myc transcriptional co-regulators

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

High confidence transcriptional target (HCT) analysis (McKenna/Ochsner) lead us to identify the enrichment of specific Myc co-regulators (Hcfc1 and Wdr5) that may determine specific gene programs activated by Myc during UPR and Xbp-1 activation to drive beta cell proliferation

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Acute Lepr KO induces an Xbp1 regulated transcriptional program to resolve UPR stress during adaptive beta cell proliferation. UPR resolution involved attenuation of HSF1 gene regulation and increased ribosomal biogenesis associated with prominent MYC transcriptional activity

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Overall, we captured the transcriptional signatures of beta cell populations undergoing adaptive stress (without decompensation) and attenuation in association with significant beta cell proliferation (~20% of all beta cells) in obese female mice following acute leptin receptor KO

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Obesity is the most potent physiologic stimulus to expand beta cells in both humans and pre-clinical models, representing a significant opportunity to identify relevant robust targets that translate to humans to expand and regenerate beta cells as replacement therapy in #T1D #T2D

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

This was fun project not possible without my amazing co-authors: Dr. Sean Hartig animal studies, writing, support, mentorship; Peter Masschelin talented grad student at the time performed single cell analyses; Drs. Neil McKenna and Scott Ochsner for innovative bioinformatics tool

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

International women and girls in science day - late but important to recognize my incredible team of women, proud of their accomplishments and excited for the future. #IMM @uthealthhouston.bsky.social #WomenInScience Dr. Ege Sanem Oturmaz Dr. Tanyel Ashiik Dr. Madigan Snyder & Mariana Garcia M.Eng.

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Aaron Cox, PhD @aaronrcox.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

Enjoyed our first Secret Santa Exchange at yesterday’s lab meeting. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holidays!! 🎄❄️

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