2024-01-09 19:29:40
A new study has shown that insulin-producing cells in the pancreas can be regenerated, in a new breakthrough that may end the suffering of insulin injections for diabetics.
This breakthrough was achieved by developing pancreatic ductal progenitor cells, which give rise to the tissue lining the pancreatic ducts, to mimic the function of beta cells that are usually ineffective or missing in people with type 1 diabetes.
The researchers, led by a team from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia, investigated a new use of drugs already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration that target the EZH2 enzyme in human tissue, which normally controls cell development, providing an important biological check for growth.
Two small molecule inhibitors: GSK126 and Tazemetostat, approved for use in cancer treatments, were used to remove some of the restriction imposed by EZH2, allowing ductal progenitor cells to develop functions similar to those of beta cells.
“Targeting EZH2 is fundamental to the regenerative potential of beta cells,” the researchers wrote.
The new cells can sense glucose levels and adjust insulin production, just like beta cells. In type 1 diabetes, the focus of the study, the original beta cells are accidentally destroyed by the body’s immune system, which means blood glucose and insulin must be controlled with regular injections.
Tests conducted by the team showed the same reaction in tissue samples taken from two people with type 1 diabetes between the ages of 7 and 61, and a 56-year-old without diabetes, suggesting that it might work across generations.
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