Protein triggers insulin production in mice
Researchers have been able to get liver and pancreatic cells in diabetic mice to produce insulin by using a naturally occurring protein. According to the article I read, by injecting a protein called Pdx1 into the abdomens of mice, insulin production is restarted in the mice. Pdx1 has a structure that allows it to pass into the pancreatic cells, enter their nucleus and cause insulin production to start.According to Dr. Li-Jun Yang, founder of Transgeneron Therapeutics, "What is remarkable is that the protein also promotes regeneration of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, allowing the diabetic mice to become normal."
It all sounds like it has possibility. I'd just caution readers not to get too excited.
This is research and I'd guess it's many years away from any kind of application for people with type 1 diabetes.
Labels: cure, insulin, research
posted by Bernard @ 7:52 PM
4 Comments:
Hi Bernard,
I appreciate the work/research you do to find out what's new/exciting in diabetes. Frequently I'll read a news article or my husband will read one, and I'm able to say, "Yeah, Bernard has written about that on his blog."
Thank you.
I read about this today, too. Very exciting, even if it is years away. Something new, another approach. You never know where it will lead.
I'm always cautiously interested in news like this. It sounds exciting, but it may never come to anything. That's always a sad truth in dealing with diabetes research.
Now the question that remains is, "Are there sufficient beta cells alive in the pancreas that can make use of this protein messenger?"
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