My project, funded by the NIHR Exeter BRC, looks to understand the mechanisms controlling genes which are selectively switched off in specific cells in the pancreas called beta-cells which are responsible for producing insulin. Such genes are important to understand as they can sometimes become incorrectly switched on due to inherited genetic defects, causing diseases such as congenital hyperinsulinism. Understanding how and when in fetal development these genes are switched off, we hope to better understand how disease arises and whether we can diagnose and treat such conditions more effectively.