UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center Graduate Research Assistant and Ph.D. Candidate Abdulaziz Almutairi was awarded a travel award for the 56th Southeastern Regional Lipid Conference.
To win the travel award, Almutairi’s abstract submission had to score among the top of all graduate student submissions. Almutairi’s presented research was titled “Macrophage iPLA2β -Derived Lipid (iDLs) Signaling Promotes Type 1 Diabetes Development.”

According to organizers, the Southeastern Regional Lipid Conference (SERLC) is one of the largest and most established academic meetings on lipid biology research in the United States. World-renowned scientist, post-docs, and students present their cutting-edge research on lipid biology, lipidomics, and the role of lipids in disease.

This year, the conference was held Nov. 13-15 in Crowne Plaza, Asheville, NC. Keynote speakers were Alex Toker, Ph.D., and Alyssa Hasty, Ph.D.

Almutairi is a member of the lab of Sasanka Ramanadham, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology (CDIB) and senior scientist in the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center. The Ramanadham lab is primarily focused on lipid signaling as a means to further understand diabetes and curative therapy options.