Anne Gresch is The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Highlighted Trainee Author for the October 2020 issue. At the time the work was conducted, Ms. Gresch was a pre-doctoral trainee in the Institute for Pharmaceutical and
Medical Chemistry at the University of Münster (WWU). Her mentor is Prof. Dr. Martina Düfer. She will continue as a post-doctoral trainee within the Pharmacology Group of the Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medical Chemistry. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics article that earned her selection as a Highlighted Trainee Author is titled “Dextromethorphan and Dextrorphan Influence Insulin Secretion by Interacting with KATP and L-type Ca2+ Channels in Pancreatic β-cells”
and is available at https://doi.org/10.1124/jpet.120.265835.
Ms. Gresch’s areas of research are the electrophysiology of whole islets of Langerhans and the regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis of pancreatic islets by ion channels. In this regard she is also searching for new targets potentiating insulin release.
Ms. Gresch currently works on two projects: (1) investigating the role of the NMDA receptor in the pancreatic β-cell and its role under pathophysiological conditions (e.g., type 2 diabetes mellitus) and (2) the development and validation of a
new microelectrode array technique (Beta-Screen) for faster and efficient measurements of the electric activity of islets of Langerhans.
The anticipated impact of Ms. Gresch’s current research is to discover new potential targets that affect insulin secretion in order to develop new drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and providing an efficient screening tool to obtain
quick information about any influence of newly developed substances on the electrical activity of islets.
When not in the lab, Anne likes to read classic literature and relieves stress by running. She also likes to try culinary delicacies with her husband.