Herbert Gaisano

Herbert Gaisano is a gastroenterologist at the Toronto Western Hospital, and a Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Gaisano is a multi-awarded and leading scientist in endocrine and exocrine pancreas. His research focus has been on a class of proteins called SNARE proteins, which he had demonstrated to orchestrate exocytosis and ion channel gating in two secretory cell models - pancreatic acinar cell and islet beta cell. Here, Dr. Gaisano has made pioneering observations that SNARE proteins not only directly mediate exocytotic fusion of secretory granules with the plasma membrane, but also directly bind and regulate calcium and potassium channel gating to fine tune the secretory process; and how these secretory processes could be dysregulated to cause deficient insulin secretion in diabetes, and pathologic exocytosis leading to pancreatitis. Dr. Gaisano has further translated this fundamental biology of SNARE protein regulation of ion channels to non-secretory cells, including the GI smooth muscle and cardiac myocytes to regulate muscle contractility. This research is supported by CIHR, NIH, JDRF, HSFO, CDA and CAG.