Amin Ardestani

Dr Amin Ardestani, Senior Lecturer in Metabolic Signaling at the Biomedical Institute for Multimorbidity (BIM), Hull York Medical School (HYMS), specializes in unraveling molecular mechanisms of pancreatic β-cell failure in diabetes. His research program identifies novel therapeutic targets through signal transduction studies in metabolic disorders.

• Bachelor's in Biology, Tarbiat Moalem University (2004)
• Master's in Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (2007)
• PhD in Biology, University of Bremen (2013)
• Junior Group Leader at University of Bremen (2014-2023)

Research focuses on Hippo and mTOR signaling pathways in β-cell biology, autoimmunity, and regeneration. His work bridges mechanistic biology with drug discovery for diabetes, with significant findings on PHLPP1/2 phosphatases and MST1/2 kinases.

Recent publications highlight therapeutic strategies for β-cell protection, including small molecule inhibitors (e.g., MST1/2 inhibitors) and metabolic enzyme modulation (LDHA). Collaborative studies explore SARS-CoV-2 interactions with pancreatic cells and cross-talk between acinar and β-cells in diabetes.

• 2019 JDRF Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 2018 Impulse grant & Career Advancement Award
• 2017 Early Investigators awards (Endocrine Society, EFSD/Lilly Programme)
• 2014 Albert Renold Fellowship & Bremer Studienpreis

Professional roles include Editorial Board Member at Scientific Reports and Associate Editor at Frontiers in Endocrinology. He reviews grants for DFG, Diabetes UK, and ISF, and evaluates manuscripts for top-tier journals like Cell Metabolism and Nature Communications.