Dr Belinda Yau

Lecturer - Health Sciences
BMedSci (Hons), PhD (Medicine)

Email: belinda.yau@nd.edu.au

  • Biography

    Belinda completed a Bachelor of Medical Sciences (Honours) and PhD in Medicine at the University of Sydney, Australia in 2015. Her doctoral research focused on the immune pathways and pathogenesis of pneumococcal meningitis, looking at the molecular mechanisms behind inflammasome involvement and blood-brain barrier disruption.

    In 2016 she joined the Islet Biology and Metabolism laboratory under A/Prof Melkam Kebede at the Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney. Her research here focuses on genetic contributors to pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes, whole-body metabolic outcomes in insulin resistance and diabetes, and insulin granule function in type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

    Belinda has previously taught into the disciplines of Pathology and Physiology at the University of Sydney, has working experience in higher education instructional design, and currently coordinates courses in Immunology, Infectious Diseases, and Cell Biology and Genetics at UNDA.

  • Teaching areas

    • Immunology
    • Infectious disease
    • Cell biology and genetics
    • Academic research and writing
    • Physiology

  • Research expertise and supervision

    Belinda has current research students in beta-cell biology, insulin granule function, and type 1 and 2 diabetes. She has supervised undergraduate research and Honours students since 2019, and is currently supervising 2 Honours students.

  • Book chapters

    • Kebede, M. A., Yau, B., Stöckli, J., Piper, R. C., & James, D. E. (2023). Regulated Versus Constitutive Secretion–A Major Form of Intercellular Communication.

  • Journal articles and proceedings

      • Deng K, Sun K, Webster H, Yau B, Loudovaris T, Thomas HE, Kebede MA, Thorn P. KANK1 regulates the positioning of liprin-α1 and the spatial organization of insulin granule fusion in pancreatic β cells. J Biol Chem. 2026 Jan;302(1):111036.
      • Yau B, Ghislain J, Kebede MA, Hughes J, Poitout V. The role of the beta cell in type 2 diabetes: new findings from the last 5 years. Diabetologia. 2025 Oct;68(10):2092-2103.
      • Masson SWC, Simpson RC, Cutler HB, Carlos PW, Marian OC, Yau B, Potter M, Madsen S, Cooke KC, Craw NR, Fuller OK, Harney DJ, Larance M, Cooney GJ, Morahan G, Shanahan ER, Kebede MA, Hodgkins C, Payne RJ, Stöckli J, James DE. Genetic variance in the murine defensin locus modulates glucose homeostasis. EMBO J. 2025 Oct;44(20):5694-5711.
      • Yau B, An Y, Germanos M, Schwarzkopf P, van der Kraan AG, Larance M, Webster H, Burns C, Asensio CS, Kebede MA. VPS41 deletion triggers progressive loss of insulin stores and downregulation of β-cell identity. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2025 Mar 1;328(3):E457-E469.
      • Germanos M, Yau B, Taper M, Yeoman C, Wilson A, An Y, Cattin-Ortolá J, Masler D, Tong J, Naghiloo S, Needham EJ, van der Kraan AG, Sun K, Loudovaris T, Diaz-Vegas A, Larance M, Thomas H, von Blume J, Thorn P, Ailion M, Asensio C, Kebede MA. Cab45G trafficking through the insulin secretory pathway is altered in human type 2 diabetes. iScience. 2024 Dec 30;28(2):111719.
      • Norris N, Yau B, Famularo C, Webster H, Loudovaris T, Thomas HE, Larance M, Senior AM, Kebede MA. Optimized Proteomic Analysis of Insulin Granules From MIN6 Cells Identifies Scamp3, a Novel Regulator of Insulin Secretion and Content. Diabetes. 2024 Dec 1;73(12):2045-2054.
      • Thillainadesan S, Lambert A, Cooke KC, Stöckli J, Yau B, Masson SWC, Howell A, Potter M, Fuller OK, Jiang YL, Kebede MA, Morahan G, James DE, Madsen S, Hocking SL. The metabolic consequences of 'yo-yo' dieting are markedly influenced by genetic diversity. Int J Obes (Lond). 2024 Aug;48(8):1170-1179.
      • Diaz-Vegas A, Cooke KC, Cutler HB, Yau B, Masson SWC, Harney D, Fuller OK, Potter M, Madsen S, Craw NR, Zhang Y, Moreno CL, Kebede MA, Neely GG, Stöckli J, Burchfield JG, James DE. Deletion of miPEP in adipocytes protects against obesity and insulin resistance by boosting muscle metabolism. Mol Metab. 2024 Aug;86:101983.
      • Yau B, Madsen S, Nelson ME, Cooke KC, Fritzen AM, Thorius IH, Stöckli J, James DE, Kebede MA. Genetics and diet shape the relationship between islet function and whole body metabolism. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2024 May 1;326(5):E663-E672.
      • Thai LM, O'Reilly L, Reibe-Pal S, Sue N, Holliday H, Small L, Schmitz-Peiffer C, Dhenni R, Wang-Wei Tsai V, Norris N, Yau B, Zhang X, Lee K, Yan C, Shi YC, Kebede MA, Brink R, Cooney GJ, Irvine KM, Breit SN, Phan TG, Swarbrick A, Biden TJ. β-cell function is regulated by metabolic and epigenetic programming of islet-associated macrophages, involving Axl, Mertk, and TGFβ receptor signaling. iScience. 2023 Mar 22;26(4):106477.
      • Brandon AE, Small L, Nguyen TV, Suryana E, Gong H, Yassmin C, Hancock SE, Pulpitel T, Stonehouse S, Prescott L, Kebede MA, Yau B, Quek LE, Kowalski GM, Bruce CR, Turner N, Cooney GJ. Insulin sensitivity is preserved in mice made obese by feeding a high starch diet. Elife. 2022 Nov 17;11:e79250.
      • Yau B, Hocking S, Andrikopoulos S, Kebede MA. Targeting the insulin granule for modulation of insulin exocytosis. Biochem Pharmacol. 2021 Dec;194:114821.
      • Yau B, Naghiloo S, Diaz-Vegas A, Carr AV, Van Gerwen J, Needham EJ, Jevon D, Chen SY, Hoehn KL, Brandon AE, Macia L, Cooney GJ, Shortreed MR, Smith LM, Keller MP, Thorn P, Larance M, James DE, Humphrey SJ, Kebede MA. Proteomic pathways to metabolic disease and type 2 diabetes in the pancreatic islet. iScience. 2021 Sep 9;24(10):103099.
      • Germanos M, Gao A, Taper M, Yau B, Kebede MA. Inside the Insulin Secretory Granule. Metabolites. 2021 Aug 5;11(8):515.
      • Wali JA, Milner AJ, Luk AWS, Pulpitel TJ, Dodgson T, Facey HJW, Wahl D, Kebede MA, Senior AM, Sullivan MA, Brandon AE, Yau B, Lockwood GP, Koay YC, Ribeiro R, Solon-Biet SM, Bell-Anderson KS, O'Sullivan JF, Macia L, Forbes JM, Cooney GJ, Cogger VC, Holmes A, Raubenheimer D, Le Couteur DG, Simpson SJ. Impact of dietary carbohydrate type and protein-carbohydrate interaction on metabolic health. Nat Metab. 2021 Jun;3(6):810-828.
      • Norris N, Yau B, Kebede MA. Isolation and Proteomics of the Insulin Secretory Granule. Metabolites. 2021 Apr 30;11(5):288.
      • Burns CH, Yau B, Rodriguez A, Triplett J, Maslar D, An YS, van der Welle REN, Kossina RG, Fisher MR, Strout GW, Bayguinov PO, Veenendaal T, Chitayat D, Fitzpatrick JAJ, Klumperman J, Kebede MA, Asensio CS. Pancreatic β-Cell-Specific Deletion of VPS41 Causes Diabetes Due to Defects in Insulin Secretion. Diabetes. 2021 Feb;70(2):436-448.
      • Yau B, Hays L, Liang C, Laybutt DR, Thomas HE, Gunton JE, Williams L, Hawthorne WJ, Thorn P, Rhodes CJ, Kebede MA. A fluorescent timer reporter enables sorting of insulin secretory granules by age. J Biol Chem. 2020 Jul 3;295(27):8901-8911.
      • Ma W, Chang J, Tong J, Ho U, Yau B, Kebede MA, Thorn P. Arp2/3 nucleates F-actin coating of fusing insulin granules in pancreatic β cells to control insulin secretion. J Cell Sci. 2020 Mar 30;133(6):jcs236794.
      • Yau B, Blood Z, An Y, Su Z, Kebede MA. Type 2 diabetes-associated single nucleotide polymorphism in Sorcs1 gene results in alternative processing of the Sorcs1 protein in INS1 β-cells. Sci Rep. 2019 Dec 19;9(1):19466.
      • Chung SH, Shen W, Davidson KC, Pébay A, Wong RCB, Yau B, Gillies M. Differentiation of Retinal Glial Cells From Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Promoting the Notch Signaling Pathway. Front Cell Neurosci. 2019 Dec 3;13:527.
      • Too LK, Yau B, Baxter AG, McGregor IS, Hunt NH. Double deficiency of toll-like receptors 2 and 4 alters long-term neurological sequelae in mice cured of pneumococcal meningitis. Sci Rep. 2019 Nov 7;9(1):16189.
      • Stöckli J, Zadoorian A, Cooke KC, Deshpande V, Yau B, Herrmann G, Kebede MA, Humphrey SJ, James DE. ABHD15 regulates adipose tissue lipolysis and hepatic lipid accumulation. Mol Metab. 2019 Jul;25:83-94.
      • Solon-Biet SM, Cogger VC, Pulpitel T, Wahl D, Clark X, Bagley E, Gregoriou GC, Senior AM, Wang QP, Brandon AE, Perks R, O'Sullivan J, Koay YC, Bell-Anderson K, Kebede M, Yau B, Atkinson C, Svineng G, Dodgson T, Wali JA, Piper MDW, Juricic P, Partridge L, Rose AJ, Raubenheimer D, Cooney GJ, Le Couteur DG, Simpson SJ. Branched chain amino acids impact health and lifespan indirectly via amino acid balance and appetite control. Nat Metab. 2019 May;1(5):532-545.
      • Yau B, Hunt NH, Mitchell AJ, Too LK. Blood‒Brain Barrier Pathology and CNS Outcomes in Streptococcus pneumoniae Meningitis. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Nov 11;19(11):3555.
      • Burchfield JG, Kebede MA, Meoli CC, Stöckli J, Whitworth PT, Wright AL, Hoffman NJ, Minard AY, Ma X, Krycer JR, Nelson ME, Tan SX, Yau B, Thomas KC, Wee NKY, Khor EC, Enriquez RF, Vissel B, Biden TJ, Baldock PA, Hoehn KL, Cantley J, Cooney GJ, James DE, Fazakerley DJ. High dietary fat and sucrose results in an extensive and time-dependent deterioration in health of multiple physiological systems in mice. J Biol Chem. 2018 Apr 13;293(15):5731-5745.
      • Yau B, Too LK, Ball HJ, Hunt NH. TIGR4 strain causes more severe disease than WU2 strain in a mouse model of Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis: a common pathogenic role for interferon-γ. Microbes Infect. 2017 Jul-Aug;19(7-8):413-421.
      • Shen W, Yau B, Lee SR, Zhu L, Yam M, Gillies MC. Effects of Ranibizumab and Aflibercept on Human Müller Cells and Photoreceptors under Stress Conditions. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Mar 1;18(3):533.
      • Yau B, Mitchell AJ, Too LK, Ball HJ, Hunt NH. Interferon-γ-Induced Nitric Oxide Synthase-2 Contributes to Blood/Brain Barrier Dysfunction and Acute Mortality in Experimental Streptococcus pneumoniae Meningitis. J Interferon Cytokine Res. 2016 Feb;36(2):86-99.
      • Guo J, McQuillan JA, Yau B, Tullo GS, Long CA, Bertolino P, Roediger B, Weninger W, Taylor GA, Hunt NH, Ball HJ, Mitchell AJ. IRGM3 contributes to immunopathology and is required for differentiation of antigen-specific effector CD8+ T cells in experimental cerebral malaria. Infect Immun. 2015 Apr;83(4):1406-17.
      • Too LK, Mitchell AJ, Yau B, Ball HJ, McGregor IS, Hunt NH. Interleukin-18 deficiency and its long-term behavioural and cognitive impacts in a murine model of pneumococcal meningitis. Behav Brain Res. 2014 Apr 15;263:176-89.
      • Mitchell AJ, Yau B, McQuillan JA, Ball HJ, Too LK, Abtin A, Hertzog P, Leib SL, Jones CA, Gerega SK, Weninger W, Hunt NH. Inflammasome-dependent IFN-γ drives pathogenesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis. J Immunol. 2012 Nov 15;189(10):4970-80.

  • Professional affiliations

    • Australian Diabetes Society

  • Community engagement

      • LifeLab Sydney Program Volunteer, Sydney Institute for Women, Children and their Families, Sydney Local Health District
      • Mentor, HSC Science Extension Program, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney

  • Awards

    • 2026 Diabetes Australia Research Program Grant - “Using insulin granule proteomics to uncover new biomarkers for type 1 diabetes”
    • 2024 University of Sydney Charles Perkins Centre Type 1 Diabetes Seed Funding Grant
    • 2024 University of Sydney Charles Perkins Centre EMCR Seed Funding Grant
    • 2024 International Diabetes Federation EMCR Best Basic Science Paper Prize
    • 2023 University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health – Bright Ideas Grant
    • 2023 University of Sydney Charles Perkins Centre EMCR Symposium Poster Award
    • 2021 American Diabetes Association Islet Biology Interest Group – Fall 3 Minute Thesis Postdoc Award
    • 2021 University of Sydney Charles Perkins Centre EMCR Travel Award
    • 2020 Australian Diabetes Congress Basic Science Poster Award
    • 2019 Australian Diabetes Society Pincus Taft Young Investigator Award
    • 2011 Australian Postgraduate Award – PhD Scholarship