Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases
Indiana University School of Medicine
Jason Spaeth, PhD
Jason launched his research program as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine in January of 2019. He completed his postdoctoral tenure in Nashville, TN at Vanderbilt University in the lab of Roland Stein. While there, he worked on several projects centered around islet cell function. He made seminal contributions to understanding how the Foxp1, Foxp2 and Foxp4 transcription factors control postnatal islet alpha cell proliferation and function and characterized a gene enhancer deletion mutant of the Pdx1 gene that influences Pdx1 expression and islet beta cell maturation during weaning in vivo. His most current work unveiled the contributions of how the Swi/Snf chromatin remodeling complex controls pancreas formation by promoting pancreatic progenitor cell proliferation and provided the first evidence for how Swi/Snf mediates mature islet β-cell function and maintenance of identity in vivo.
Jason and his wife Aubrey have a daughter, son, and a household of pets. Jason enjoys spending time with his family camping, hiking, canoeing, playing baseball/softball and traveling! While not in the lab or office working, Jason also like to spend his free time woodworking.
Current Lab Members
Avinil Das Sharma, MS, PhD Student
Born and raised in the city of Kolkata, India, Avinil obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Calcutta with honours in Zoology and a master's degree in Biochemistry from Banaras Hindu University. After obtaining his master's degree, Avinil worked as a junior research fellow at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Bhopal, where he developed chemical biology-based approaches to label phospholipids in mammalian cells and discover the lipid-interacting proteome. Thereafter, he worked as a senior research fellow at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, where his research focused on human adipose tissue to better understand the role of adipokines in ageing in obese/non-obese and diabetic/non-diabetic patients, as well as developing and screening PPAR-gamma agonists for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. After completing his rotations under the IBMG PhD program at IU School of Medicine, Avinil joined the Spaeth Lab where he will be focusing on the role of CHD4 in beta cell development and function.
Beyond the confines of laboratory walls, an avid football (soccer) enthusiast, his heart beats true for Manchester United, nurturing a cherished dream of witnessing their prowess firsthand at Old Trafford. A connoisseur of cinematic marvels, Avinil delights in unravelling the intricate depths of beloved characters from Star Wars and the enigmatic psyche of Batman, engaging in spirited discussions!
Snehasish Nag, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Snehasish Nag, born in Kolkata and raised in the historic and beautiful town of Santiniketan in West Bengal, has completed his Ph.D. form Visva-Bharati University in 2024. He worked on understanding the regulation of Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) expression in pancreatic beta cells and how inhibition of DPP-4 impacts beta cell health and function in the context of type 2 diabetes. During his Ph.D. tenure, he has published multiple first author publications in notable peer reviewed journals. He has also won several international awards at various conferences, such EASD, IICB etc. After completion of his Ph.D., Snehasish has joined as a Post Doctoral Fellow in Spaeth Lab in October 2024.
Along with his educational achievements, Snehasish is also a sports enthusiast. He loves Cricket and Football (Soccer). He is a huge fan of FC Barcelona and of course, Lionel Messi. He loves spending his time watching sports and American TV shows such as Big Bang Theory and many more.
Abby Taylor, BS, Research Technician
Past lab members:
